


The Promise

by bright73



Series: Post series, the Sweetwater Tales [2]
Category: Young Riders
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Character Study, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-11-23
Updated: 1999-11-22
Packaged: 2017-10-20 16:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 40,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/214601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bright73/pseuds/bright73
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On arrival at the old homestead in Sweetwater, the new families strive to settle. But things aren't the same.<br/>Then Kid makes a decisions that may forever change their lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jimmy watched the newlywed couple on the porch. They had been sitting there for hours. Talking intensely to each other. Jimmy knew exactly what they were talking about. Teaspoon was joining the Southern forces and leaving in two days. Kid had been offered to stay on as the local deputy, Jimmy becoming the new Marshal. Or the position as Marshal in Sweetwater, since Teaspoon found out the former had met an early retirement in form of a stray bullet. Lou did obviously not like the idea of Kid being the Marshal. She'd rather he stayed on in Rock Creek. Problem was that Emma had surprised them with a gift yesterday. The deed to her homestead in Sweetwater. That made both decide on Sweetwater, but Lou was not that keen on the Marshal part. Jimmy smiled as he heard Kid's speeches about the extra money it would bring them, getting into a rather lengthy monologue. Lou was dead set on him forgetting about the job.

"Lou! We've all been deputized a dozen of times, nothing's ever happened!"

"Oh! You seem to forget the incident in Davenport and how about when Amanda -."

Jimmy watched Kid lean in towards Lou and teasingly interrupt her: "I remember Davenport rather fondly myself. Don't tell me you've gotten second thoughts already?"

Lou gave him a push, trying to hide a smile. "Kid, do I have to remind you of all the times you've been frettin' bout me and my rides?"

"But this ain't the same!"

"Not for you maybe!"

"Lou, we're gonna need the extra money."

"To buy you a fancy coffin?" Lou almost shoved the Kid down off the porch when he tried to kiss her.

Jimmy chuckled. Lou turned a pair of furious eyes in his direction.

"And what are you laughin' at?"

"Nothin' Lou, nothin at all." Jimmy had to straighten his face in a hurry.

Lou's eyes pierced him. "Tell'm Jimmy, tell'm Sweetwater ain't what it used to be!"

"Uh, Lou, I don't know -."

"Jimmy, you told me yourself!"

Jimmy realized it was time to get out of there. Lou was getting into one of her more dangerous moods. Making a big curve around the angry rider, he made his way to Teaspoon's office. Arriving at a safe distance from Lou, he turned and cast a big grin in their direction; "Kid! I got an idea, you take the job and deputize Lou. When they see her like this they'll all run for their lives."

Kid grinned back at him. "Over my dead body."

"That's just what I'm afraid of!" Lou snapped at the Kid. When Jimmy left, he could see them on the poarch, still arguing over the matter. Jimmy knew Lou would wear the Kid out in the end. Lou could be even more stubborn than the Kid when push came to shove.

 

Jimmy smiled and steered his steps to the Marshal's Office. He was not so keen on his new job, fearing it would bring hotheads along, calling him out. Probably make him kill them. But being out of a job would probably lead him into even more trouble. He would miss his family though. Lou and Kid were going soon. Ike and Noah were dead, Cody in the Army, Teaspoon on his way to enlist. All that would be left in Rock Creek were him and Rachel. He shrugged at the thought of Teaspoon fighting for the South; him trying to talk Teaspoon out of it had led to bitter discussions. Jimmy had decided not to join the Army, as a tribute to Kid's decline to fight for what he believed in. Jimmy often wondered if Kid regretted his decision as much as he regretted his? But knowing he might stand eye to eye with Teaspoon Hunter on a battlefield made his choice easier. At least he wouldn't have to kill a friend. His thought went to Cody that had left for the Army soon after Lou's and Kid's wedding. Jimmy wondered what he had seen already. Cody had promised to come back to Rock Creek on his leaves, Jimmy hoped he would.

Stepped into the dusty office, he watched Teaspoon wake up from a slumber.

"Morning son," the raggedy man spoke and pulled his feet off the desktop.

"Teaspoon, it's noun already."

"Well, I'm tellin' you, this Marshaling's gonna take it all out of you!"

Jimmy smiled. Teaspoon had seen to it that Rock Creek was a peaceful, prosperous town by now. Teaspoon Hunter's reputation had seen to that. Jimmy wondered what his reputation would lead to? Both men eyed each other, carefully avoiding the issue of the war.

"Packed already?" Jimmy just had to ask.

"Yep!"

No more words were needed. Jimmy knew Teaspoon was going, there was nothing else to add to it. He involuntary frowned.

"Jimmy," Teaspoon started in a hesitant voice, not knowing exactly how to explain his decision to the young man in front of him.

Jimmy interrupted him. "I know Teaspoon, no need to get into that again! I'm just relieved Kid's not going. I'd hate to see all my friends, hell my family, die on me."

"About the Kid and Lou, I mean Louise, what's the latest?"

"She's working hard on him. I think you're goin' to have to find somebody else to recommend."

Teaspoon chuckled. "I guessed so. Well Buck ain't willing either so I'll have to rest my case."

Jimmy perked his ears "Buck? What'ya mean?"

Teaspoon leaned back, forgetting his manners and placing his feet back on the desktop. "Didn't you hear?"

Jimmy shook his head and awaited an explanation.

"Buck and Dawn's going to live with Kid and Lou. Seeing as the homestead is too big for one family, Kid and Lou offered Buck half of the homestead. Seems like Dawn is expecting." Teaspoon nodded at Jimmy's happy grin. "That's why Buck rode out three days ago. Had to ask Dawn some things I gather. Came in late yesterday and told me."

Jimmy found a chair and sat down on it. He would have a family in Sweetwater too, he knew that. He had been worried for Kid and Lou, how they were going to make it all by themselves. Knowing Buck and Dawn would be there with them made it all so much easier.

"I am relieved."

Teaspoon just watched the young man in front of him. The things he had heard about Sweetwater made him wonder. But still it could just be rumors. He hoped it was.

 

 

In the bright morning light they all watched Teaspoon leave, their good-byes still hanging in the air. Kid, Lou and Buck were packed and ready to leave too. They all watched each other, ready to take the step into a new life. It felt like taking a step right into the unknown. Kid took the first step in saying good-bye. He went over to Rachel and hugged her.

"Rachel, take care. And thank you for everything." Smiling at her, he realized what a big part she had played in helping him and Lou get where they were right now.

"You know what I mean," he added with a smirk, remembering all the ups and downs.

Rachel hugged him right back, with mixed feelings. Happy they had a place to go, together. Immensely sad they wouldn't be around.

"Take care of yourselves Kid!" Her voice almost breaking from the emotions stirred up in her.

"I will," Kid promised, looking her right in the eyes. And she knew he'd watch out for Lou, with his life if so needed.

"Yourself too, Kid, I mean it."

Kid smiled and nodded, but Rachel knew what his decision would be if it came to that. Rachel hoped it never would. She turned to Lou. Opening her arms to the girl that had become a woman right under her eyes.

"Oh Rachel, I'll miss you so much!" Lou sobbed.

"I know Lou, me too! But we'll write, promise me."

Lou nodded solemnly.

"And," Rachel continued with a mischievous smile. "let me know when I'm about to become an aunt."

Lou blushed and giggled. "I will, Rachel, promise, you'll be the first to know."

Rachel raised her eyebrows.

"Well, the second" Lou corrected herself, glancing in Kid's direction. Turning back to Rachel, the two women just looked at each other, their eyes meeting in a silent understanding and prayal, that everything would be fine.

"See you soon, Lou." Rachel whispered and gave Lou a hug before the young woman turned away. Lou turned to hide her tears.

With tears in her eyes Rachel embraced Buck. She couldn't speak anymore but Buck's eyes told her he understood.

"I'll come visit when Dawn," her voice cracked and tears rolled down her face.

"I know, Rachel. We'll be just fine. Don't let them students of yours wear you down." Buck tried to comfort her. She held on to his arm, wiping the tears from her face with the other. "I'll be fine, Buck, just hate to see you go."

Buck gave her a hug in reply, signing he understood.

"Take care, Buck!"

"Always do," came the calm answer.

 

Kid placed himself right in front of Jimmy. He felt no word were needed. Jimmy knew where they were if he ever needed them. Jimmy took a step closer and laid an arm over Kid's shoulder, a stern look on his face

"Well, Kid we never found out, did we?"

"Wha?" Kid asked in surprise.

"Who's faster, you or me?"

"You really need to know, Jimmy?" Kid was just not completely sure Jimmy was joking. Jimmy boxed him playfully in the stomach and grinned. "Sometimes I just get the feeling you've been holding back." Jimmy's eyes turned in Lou's direction. "Like with her!"

Kid couldn't stop himself from smiling, remembering the time he had asked for advice from Jimmy regarding Lou. The jealousy he had felt towards him and the fist fights they'd had over her. In those moments it had felt like Jimmy was his enemy. Now he knew better.

"Never held back, Jimmy," he smiled at his friend.

"Sometimes I wonder," Jimmy replied, still smiling. "Kid, just promise me one thing," Jimmy said, letting go of him. "Take care of her."

Kid looked steadily into his friend's eyes, knowing the feelings Jimmy held for Lou. "With my life if necessary."

Jimmy nodded and knew he would do exactly the same if needed. They both shared the same devotion to Lou. Kid just had that burning love for her inside of him, a love Jimmy had known was there right from the start. Something that seemed bigger than life, something that prevented Jimmy from interfering.

Kid reached out to put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't be a stranger, Jimmy."

With a last tap on his shoulder, Kid turned around and made his way to the wagon. Jimmy's eyes were already on Lou.

She stood right in front of him. They both looked at each other, acknowledging the bond between them.

"Jimmy," she said, throwing her arms around him. Jimmy glanced nervously in Kid's direction.

"Don't be silly," Lou said into his chest. "He understands."

Jimmy relaxed and threw his arms around her too, hugging her close.  
"Lou..." he began but found himself without words.

"I know, Jimmy." Lou said softly. "Just some around once in a while. This ain't good-bye. This is see you soon. Promise!"

Jimmy felt a lump in is throat. "I promise," he said with a thick voice. Lou gave him a last hug and walked away to the Kid. Jimmy laid an arm around Rachel's shoulders and she leaned her head against him. Both taking comfort from each other.

Jimmy watched them turn around, heading for their future.

"If you need anything, just let us know," he hollered after them. The three riders turned one last time. Kid lifted his hand in sign of understanding.

"That goes for you too, remember that," he answered his friend. Jimmy's and Kid's eyes met and they knew they could rely on each other, what ever came.

 

 

Rachel and Jimmy watched the disappearing family members. Rachel sighed deeply making Jimmy take a look at her. "Rachel, it's gonna be fine."

She tried to smile at him shaking off the feeling of loneliness that had come over her when part of their family rode out. "I know Jimmy, it's just that this place feels so empty now."

Jimmy smiled. "Gonna miss all the fussin', huh?"

Rachel laughed "Oh Jimmy, now I have all the time in the world to fuss over you."

Jimmy made a face of mock desperation. "Please no!"

"Get goin' Marshal! An' keep your feet dry! There's a flu around, ya know." Rachel said, still laughing while going into the house to prepare for the coming schoolday.

Jimmy smiled at her when she hurried into the house, but his smile froze when he thought about his first day as a Marshal. _Wonder how many's gonna call me out today?_ he thought when he stepped in the direction of the office. _Having to kill somebody would sure make my day today!_

 

Kid watched Lou with concern. Her eyes were red and she fought hard not to cry.

"Lou you alright?" He asked softly, taking the reins into one hand and putting his arm around her shoulders.

"I'll be fine Kid, just hate to leave them like that. They should all have come with us."

Kid squeezed her tighter. "I know Lou, but they've got a life to lead just like us."

"I know," she said, burying her face in his shirt, leaning against his shoulder, breathing in the comforting, familiarly safe scent of him. "I'm glad you decided not to take the Marshal's position."

"You mean the one _**you**_ decided I shouldn't take?" Kid chucked softly.

Lou raised her head. "Will you be mad about it 'coz of me?"

"Nah Lou, you're right. I ain't that kind of a man. Jimmy's the born Marshal, I'm not."

Lou watched him calmly. "Kid, you're exactly that kind of a man, and that's why it would be too dangerous for you."

Kid gave her a surprised look.

"Believe you me, Kid, I know." Lou said, looking him straight into the eyes. "That's exactly why I wanted you to stay out of it."

Kid gently moved a stubborn lock of her hair behind her ears.

"Lou, everything's gonna be fine, I promise." Still smiling at her, not believing his luck for having her as his wife, he kissed her softly. Lou threw her arms around him and laid her head against his strong shoulder, happy just to be near him. Relieved he wouldn't risk his life as the three last Marshal's of Sweetwater had. Hoping they would find another man to do the job, even though she knew Kid would do it just fine. But after all they'd gone trough, she'd hate to lose him in a battle for justice. She had feared his sense of righteousness would take the better of him. The need to always do the right thing might just get him killed. But it was that same righteousness that made her love him so much. She noted him watch her and cupped her hands around his face. Kissing him on the lips she whispered; "I love you Kid."

Kid's eyes glittered in the sunshine when he dpulled her closer.

"I love you too, Louise, more than you think."

Lost in a kiss they almost fell off the wagon when the horses halted abruptly.

"Whoa!" Kid let out in surprise. Buck had stopped his horse right in front of the wagon. He looked at them, shaking his head.

"I've been trying to tell you that you're going in the wrong direction for a while."

Kid blushed, looking under the brim at Lou. Lou made a face at Buck. "I'm sorry!"

Buck just looked at the two, trying hard to keep a straight face.

"You'll have to go in that direction," he pointed out with an overly patient voice. "I'll go get Dawn from this direction."

"Right Buck, I hear ya'." Kid replied in an apologetic voice.

Buck's face cracked into a wide smile. "Just wait for me down at Riker's Creek. If you ever get there, that is."

Lou and Kid glanced at each other. Buck was enjoying the situation, teasing them without pardon. Laughing at their evident embarrassment, he shook his head in mock despair. "Let's get ourselves to Sweetwater and fast."


	2. Chapter 2

"This is the place?" Dawn giggled helplessly when they stopped at what used to be the old Stationhouse and the bunkhouse. Buck threw a glance in her direction.

"Well," he started, but couldn't help falling into Dawn giggle. Even though he tried hard, the laughter bubbled out of him. Leaning towards Dawn, he tried to hide his face while his body jerked in fits of laughter.

"It's not that bad," Kid began "with a little fixin' -."

"A little fixin'?" Lou looked at the Kid, her eyes wide.

"Well," Kid tried vaguely. "The house seems kinda' alright." He stopped at the helpless laughter from the back of the wagon. Turning around, Kid and Lou watched Buck and Dawn clinging to each other, laughing their heads off. Watching them, they couldn't help but join in. They were right. The place looked awful. The door of the house hung, almost all the windows were broken. Some long-ago washed clothes still hanging on the clothes line, lethargically waving at them in the soft breeze.

"I specially like the longjohns saluting us," Dawn let out between fits of laughter. "They give the place a special kind of character." She looked at Buck and they both started laughing helplessly again, gasping for air.

Kid stepped down from the wagon and looked at the devastation. Hesitantly he made his way to the bunkhouse. The roof of the old building had obviously blown away in a storm, and nobody had bothered to fix it. The railing around the porch had cracked in several places. The blinds were torn and dirty.

Lou came up besides him. "You're right Kid, it ain't that bad."

Kid looked at her, she was having a hard time staying serious. Her eyes shining of laughter, she tried to hide the smile on her face with her hand. Kid couldn't help but smile with her. Throwing his arms around her and lifting her up in the air, he whispered: "You little liar!"

Lou burst out in a laughter that made her body shake."Oh, Kid!" She whimpered through her laughter, wiping the tears from her face.

Kid just shook his head and let her down, holding her while she was shaking of laughter. He felt that at least one of them should stay serious and keep a cool head. Intent on beginning the fixing right away, he turned to the couple in the wagon.

"Where do we start?"

"Take down the longjohns before I burst," Dawn squealed.

 

 

It took them three days of cleaning before they could move into the house. They still had to pray it wouldn't rain because of the roof. Kid was glad Theresa and Jeremiah weren't around yet. They would probably have fled directly back to the orphanage. Lou had been right, better check the place out first before getting her siblings. Wisely enough both Theresa and Jeremiah had agreed. Kid's concern was that the bunkhouse was so devastated. He had planned for him and Lou to stay there until they got the money to build another house.

Finally they had cleaned up the barn enough to house the six horses they had bought. The girls had managed to get the house somewhat tidied up, enough so they could move in and leave the barn to the horses. Nobody had dared to sleep in the bunkhouse, it looked like the walls were about to cave in at any minute. While working with Buck on the roof of the house, Kid was full of excuses for him and Lou having to stay in the house too. Buck tried to calm him down, telling him everything was alright.

"Kid, there's no gain in you fixin' up the bunkhouse," he tried to convince his friend. "There's plenty of room in the house."

"I just guess you and Dawn wanna be alone," Kid stated, letting his eyes wander over the yard, stopping at Lou hanging some newly washed clothes. His face broke up in a wide smile and Buck turned to see what he was grinning at. Buck smiled as he watched the Kid's eyes fixed on Lou. Buck was guessing Kid wanted to be alone with Lou right now.

"Nice view huh?" Buck just had to tease him, seeing he had momentarily lost all interest in fixing the roof. Buck chuckled to himself when he realized Kid wasn't even listening, he had drifted off somewhere.

"Kid?" Buck tried again, but as usual when Lou was around, Kid had gotten lost in another world.

"Kid!" He had to raise his voice and give him a light swat on the shoulder.

"Huh?"

"Why don't you take Lou to the swimminghole? You both need a rest." Buck said, grinning widely.

Kid looked down on the nail he was holding, embarrassed

"There's too much to be done. I need to start fixin' the fence for another corral tonight and Lou's promised to help me with the fencin' -."

"Kid! You're just sittin' there glaring anyways, let's stop for tonight! My blisters are killin' me!"

Kid threw a glance in his direction.

"Get goin'" Buck ordered. "I'll go convince Dawn to take a break too."

"I don't know if Lou's gonna -."

"Oh, she will." Buck stated, pushing the Kid before him towards the ladder. "Believe me, she will! Just do me a favor, try to take your eyes off Lou for a while and fix them on the ladder!"

 

 

Buck and Dawn watched them saddle Katy and Lightning. Dawn standing with a duster in her hand, Buck embraced her and swirled around with her on the floor. Dawn giggled in delight. That was what Buck loved most of all in her, her beautiful laughter that always made him smile too. She would never let her mood sink, seeing a rainbow in any kind of weather. Nothing would break her spirit and she laughed when she should have cried. He had taken her out of her familiar surroundings. She never said a word. He had taken her to this place, where she had to work herself to the bone. Instead of scolding him, she giggled.

"I love you, Dawn," he whispered as he carefully put her down. "How's the little one?" he asked watching her eyes. Dawn let out a pearly laughter. "We'll better fix this place up Buck, before he's born, Or he'll make a run back to the village as soon as he takes his first step."

"Is that what you wanna do, Dawn?" Buck asked softly, afraid she wasn't talking about the coming baby but about herself.

"No Buck, that's not what I mean. I'll stay where you are, you know that!" Dawn's green eyes softened as she watched her husband. She knew how hard the decision had been for him. But him staying in the Kiowa village was not a good idea. She knew that. He had enemies there, just as he had in the white world.

"Buck, I've loved you since the first day I set my eyes on you. Whatever did you think could change that?"

"This place for instance," Buck muttered.

"Tell you something, Buck, it's starting to grow on me," she giggled.

"Maybe the mold has," Buck replied, happily joining in her laughter.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she nodded in Kid's and Lou's direction. "Where are they off to?"

"I think they're off dancin'."

"What?"

Buck had to tell her. When it dawned on her what he was talking about she leaned against his chest. "In that case Running Buck, may I have this dance?"

Buck took her into his arms.

 

 

Kid and Lou basked in the warm setting sun, the water around them softening their stiff muscles. Lou laid back on Kid's chest, closing her eyes, letting the last sunbeams warm her face. Kid resting his chin on her head, she could almost feel the question he was thinking up. She'd gotten to know him so well, sometimes she almost felt like reading his thoughts.

"No Kid," she told to him, sinking deeper into his embrace..

"No what?" he asked perplexed.

"To the question you're forming in your head." She smiled. She could feel him smile back at her.

"And what question is that, Louise?"

"If I regret coming here, and the answer is still no."

Kid leaned in, wrapping his arms tighter around her. "I wasn't talking about this trip to the swimminghole. I was talking about Sweetwater." He had that teasing smile, squinting his eyes as he leaned in over her shoulder. Lou laughed softly at his deliberate misunderstanding, cuddling up closer to him, kissing him on the shoulder.

"Kid, I meant what I said, everything will be alright. There's work to be done, but that's all."

 

Her steady voice calmed him. He had been worried he had let her down. He had not expected the old Waystation in this condition. Holding her, he went over all the things left undone in his head. It was gonna take a while before they could start a somewhat normal life and get Theresa and Jeremiah the family they deserved. He was awakened from his thoughts by Lou shifting position.

"Come on Kid, we gotta go before it gets dark. They'll be wondering where we are by now."

He felt so at ease right then and there, he wished the moment could last forever.

"Do we have to?" he said, looking pleadingly at her. She smiled at him, rising from the soothing water and stretching her hand towards him. "Come on Kid, let's get back to our splendid mansion!"

He could hear her stifling a laughter.

 

 

Kid noticed something was wrong long before the homestead came into sight. Lou felt his worry and threw a concerned glance in his direction. They simultaneously spurred their horses into a canter. As they came closer they saw thick smoke. Kid's heart rate rose and he forced Katy beyond Lightening, making her run as fast as the horse could muster, leaving Lightening behind. Arriving at the hoestead, there was nobody in the yard. The bunkhouse was burning, emanating a thick smoke. He looked around for his friends, his heart hammered in his chest.

Lou rode in, her eyes fearful and guarded.  
"Kid, what the heck?"

He just shook his head in despair. "Lou, I don't know, please see if you can find Buck or Dawn, I gotta do something about this fire."

When he went for the house, Buck stepped out from the dark corner, Dawn's terrified eyes shining from behind his shoulder. Kid breathed out in relief, "God, I thought something had happened to you two. How did this happen?"

Buck's tired eyes met his as he spoke in a low voice. "We've had visitors!"


	3. Chapter 3

Kid stood staring at Buck. Lou hurried up besides him. "What'ya mean, Buck? Visitors?" Buck nodded in affirm while placing an arm around Dawn.

"They just let us know what they think of Injun's, this is a sign any of us understands."

Kid stared at them both in utter disbelief. "You sure?" he inquired in a low voice.

Buck face was stern as he nodded and pulled Dawn even closer to himself, wanting to protect her from the knowledge.

Kid hands involuntary turned into to fist, "Goddammit, it's all my fault," he mumbled. Lou placed a hand on his arm. "What are you talking about?"

"It's my fault, Lou," his voice was deep and trembling of anger. They all looked at him, bewildered.

"Kid," Lou started again pleadingly. "You're not making any sense!"

Kid had to swallow hard to control the anger threatening to overtake him. "When I went to the store earlier today I went by the Land office too. To put Buck's and Dawn's name on the deed. Thought it was time it was done."

Lou stroke his arm in a gesture of approval. "I don't understand Kid, what has this got to do with anything?"

Kid turned to her. "The clerk acted real strange. I didn't think much about it right then, but know I see."

"What?" Dawn's hand touched his arm, and Kid felt a tug to his heart. He wouldn't ever had wanted to tell them about this, that was why he had stayed quiet. Trying to save them from the knowledge, he realized now they had known all along. At least Buck had. And in the action to protect them from knowing, he might have endangered them instead.

"He asked me four times if I was sure. At last he told me it would mean trouble. I asked him if he meant legal trouble, but he just shook his head." Kid paused, unwilling to tell the rest of the story.

The others looked at him, demanding further explanations.

"When I'd done what had to be done, I went to the store. Coming back to the wagon I found a paper with 'get rid of the half-breeds' written on it." Kid stopped and stared at the ground, his jaws tightening in anger. Lou could feel the anger tensing his body. She threw a glance in Buck's direction, he didn't seem surprised at all. His arms still around Dawn, he gazed into the night, with a resigned look.

"Kid," Lou spoke softly. "That don't mean it's your fault!"

Kid raised his eyes and the determination on his face made Lou understand that he still felt that way, and he intended to do something about it too.

"Kid," she pleaded again but he turned away, looking at the still burning bunkhouse.

"Have to put out the fire," he said, his voice calm and determined. Lou shivered whe she understood that he had already formed a plan in his head about what to do.

"Kid, don't bother," Buck stated calmly. "Let it burn, we don't need it anyways."

Kid turned to him and met his eyes.

Buck shook his head. "Kid, it ain't your fault! Lou's right." Turning to face the fire, he placed an arm around his friend's shoulder. "It would have been hell fixin' it anyways."

Dawn let out an insecure giggle. "Buck's right, I think I saw a family of rats move out even before the fire took hold of it." She tried desperately to lift the burden from the young man's shoulders. Afraid she and Buck had placed it there.

They all watched the Kid staring into the fire that burned bright in the starless night. The flames mirrored in his darkened eyes.

 

 

Jimmy rejoiced in the peaceful town for three days. All the trouble he had encountered were two drunks and a young kid stealing apples from his neighbors tree. He still smiled at the old lady's antics when she'd stormed into his office. By the fourth day he was beginning to feel restless, this what not what he had expected. He had dreaded men calling him out, eager to prove or disprove the myths built around Wild Bill Hickok. Nobody had showed up so far. Still, the calm in the town tried his nerves. Used to the adventurous life of a Pony Express rider, he had a hard time digesting the absolute calm of his new life. He stood in the door, watching the street before him. People walking by, nodding a salute in his direction. A young lady on her mothers heels, looking at him under the brim of her hat. He smiled at her, lifting the brim of his ever so slightly. The young woman looked away with a faint smile. Jimmy let his gaze follow the young lady down the street until she vanished around a corner, out of his sight. He sighed and decided to treat himself to a sarsaparilla at the saloon.

 

 

Kid sat on the verandah, a rifle over his knees. His senses tuned in on the surroundings, ready to react at the slightest sound. He had been sitting there for hours. Buck sighed as he realized that the Kid wouldn't give in. Buck stood in the doorway, watching him. "Kid, it's no use, they ain't coming back tonight. I told ya before."

Kid answered him, not turning his head. "I ain't takin' no such chances."

Buck sighed. Kid finally turned his head in his friends direction. "It's alright, Buck, I just need some time to think! Get some sleep, you need it."

Buck shook his head and turned to walk back inside the house, almost bumping into Lou coming out with a steaming cup in her hand.

"Lou," he sighed. "Don't tell me you intend to sit out there too."

She just looked at him, smiling slightly.

"Lou, I'm tellin' they aint' comin' back tonight, they've already made their point." He was getting desperate about his friends refusal to listen to him.

"I know Buck, I just need to talk to him. Maybe I'll be able to talk some sense into him."

Buck arched his eyebrows, making a face that said it all. Lou pushed herself past him. Turning her head slightly she tilted her hed and smiled. "You two get yourselves to bed. It's lae, get soe sleep."

Buck sighed and did as he was told, shaking his head as he went up the stairs. "I wish they'd listen to me once in a while," he muttered to Dawn, meeting him at the top of the stairs.

 

 

"Kid," Lou spoke softly, handing him the cup. He smiled at her when she sat down besides him, reaching his hand over to the steaing cup.

"Thought you'd be needin' something warm," she said.

"Thanks Lou," he said, his eyes never leaving the yard in front of him. She sat silently beside him, watching him sipping his coffee.

"You planning to stay out here every night?" she finally asked him.

Slowly he turned his eyes in her direction. "No Lou, just till I've figure it all out."

"Figured what out?"

"What has to be done."

"Oh Kid," she sighed, knowing he was planning how to save, if not the world, at least them.

"Lou, get yourself to bed, tomorrow's gonna come soon enough anyways," he was watching her closely.

"I ain't goin' nowhere till you come along," she said stubbornly, her lower lip protruding.

He watched her for a while and she stared right back at him, not budging. Finally he rose, resting the rifle against the wall and stepped over her legs, making his way into the house. Lou's eyes followed him, hoping he had changed his mind. She got up to go after him. Before she had time to take the first step towards the door, Kid came out carrying a blanket under his arm. He stopped for a moment looking into her eyes. Seeing the determination in them, he sighed and sat down on the floor. Lou watched his doings silently. He smiled at her and beckoned her closer. Lou threw him a questioning glance.

"Well, if you're going to get stubborn on me, I have to take actions, don't I?" he smiled, reaching out for her hand. "Come on, Louise" he begged.

Lou smiled and placed herself to sit in front of him. He carefully wrapped the blanket around her, pulling her back towards his chest. She let him embrace her, his steady heartbeat calming her.

"We'd be so much more comfortable in our bed," she said, turning her face towards his.

"We'll have all the time in the world for that later, don't wear me all out in one day," he told her teasingly, chuckling softly.

She turned her eyes back to the yard. Involuntary her eyes started closing, the tiredness weighing heavy on her eyelids. The long day was taking its toll. She fought to keep herself awake, mot wanting to leave the Kid alone in his wake. She realized she wouldn't make it anyways.

"Just promise me that, will ya?" she told him in a mumble before her eyes closed and she fell asleep. She never heard his answer.

 

 

Rachel woke in a cold sweat, still shaking from the nightmare. She had been back in Sweetwater, the old station house burning, Lou screaming and fighting in Rachel's arms as she tried to steady her. The fire seemed to close in on them, the ground burning all around them. She saw Buck and Dawn tied up together, sitting in a circle of fire. Desperately trying to get loose. She tried to drag Lou toward them, to free the couple. But Lou was screaming and fighting her, relentlessly screaming. "He promised, he promised!" until her screams echoed in the dream. Waking rACHEL from the nightmare.

Rachel shivered at the lingering memory, the dream had felt so real. She lay in her bed, remembering the nightmare. _Is everything alright there?_ Her ears perked when she heard footsteps from the lower floor. Seemed like somebody was walking aimlessly around. She listened for a while to the steps, obviously Jimmy had difficulties sleeping too. _I wonder was this all means?_ she thought, staring into the ceiling, afraid to fall asleep again and be immersed in the nightmare. Her thoughts still hovering around her family members in Sweetwater.


	4. Chapter 4

In the early morning light, Buck stepped out and frowned. Kid was still sitting on the verandah, absolutely still with a sleeping Lou in his lap. Hearing Buck approach, he put a finger to his lips in a hushing sign. Buck watched him as he rose with the sleeping Lou still in his arms. Kid smiled apologetically at him and made his way past him into the house and up the stairs.

Dawn had come down too and watched Kid walking up the stairs with Lou in his arms. She sighed shaking her head before starting for the stove.

Buck sat down at the table, sad at the turns of events.

"What's a matter?" Dawn asked as she brought the cups to the table. "Still thinking about last night?"

Buck threw a glance in her direction. He did not want to worry her, but he had seen how ugly things could get. But he felt it was his obligation to tell her exactly what he felt, "I'm more worried about tomorrow actually."

"Thing's are going to be changed around here," Kid determined voice stated. Coming down the stairs Buck noticed him wearing his gun. A habit he had lost since they came to Sweetwater.

"Kid, what -?" Buck started but Kid interrupted him promptly. "I'm going to Sweetwater to pay the Marshal a visit. I'm gonna see to it things get changed."

He was already on his way to the door when Dawn stepped in front of him. "You ain't going nowhere till you've had something to eat." She told him, taking him by the sleeve and dragging him towards the table. "Furthermore," she continued, pushing him down to the bench. "I think we all need to talk."

Buck looked at her, wondering if she had decided to leave after all.

"There's nothing to talk about," Kid said stubbornly, watching the young woman in front of him. Dawn just glared calmly back at him, curling her upper lip.

"Kid," Buck started softly. "Dawn is right, it's better if we leave."

Kid watched him with disbelief.

Dawn turned to her husband. "Whenever did I say such a thing?" She glared at Buck, annoyed at his jumping to conclusions. Angrily turning around to get the coffee from the stove, she uttered something in Kiowa. Then she returned and put the pot down on the table, giving her husband a dirty look.

Buck watched her with surprise. "But Dawn, I -."

She turned her back on him again, making her way to the cupboard, her whole being expressing irritation. Buck threw an inquiring glance at the Kid. Kid just raised his eyebrows before he turned his attention back to Dawn.

Buck cleared his throat. "Dawn, I think it'd be better if we just left."

She turned around with a basket of bread in her hand. Her eyes had softened and a smile was playing around her lips. She sank down at the table, starting to giggle. "Did you think I'd do like the emigrating rat family?" she laughed. "Then you have one or two things to learn about me."

She shook her head. "Buck, we're just gonna wait this thing out. You hear me, Kid? We're all gonna stay put and let them talk their talk. Soon enough they'll see we ain't leaving." She watched the two young men glancing at each other nervously. She leaned in over the table, letting her eyes dart from one to the other. "Nobody's ever told me where I can go or where I can stay, not without a good reason that is. And the color of our skin ain't a good reason." She paused as the men were looking at her. Buck started to say something but she stopped him immediately. "Oh Buck, you can leave whenever you want. Me, I'm staying."

Kid turned to Buck. "She's worse than Lou!"

"Tell me about it," Buck sighed.

They started to eat their breakfast in silence, Dawn's eyes on both of the men. Just waiting for them to put their foot into their mouths. Buck and Kid, acknowledging Dawn's glare, decided to keep quiet.

"Still she's right you know," Kid continued after a while. "This here is your home and there ain't nobody gonna drive you away."

He rose from the table. "I still have something's to do in Sweetwater. I'll be back soon, tell Lou that when she wakes up." He turned at the door "And keep your eyes open, all of you!"

"Kid!" Buck shouted after him. "Don't do anything you're gonna regret." Receiving only a faint smile from the Kid before he stepped out, Buck sighed.

Dawn looked at him teasingly. "Don't you men always do?"

 

 

Kid stepped into the Marshal's office, determined to get an explanation to yesterday's events. He found a man sitting at the desk, chewing tobacco.

"You the Marshal?" Kid asked, polite as usual. Even though the man behind the desk stirred up a sense of disgust inside of him. Since he couldn't put a finger on what it was with that man that disturbed him, he decided to give him a chance.

"The deputy," the man answered, looking at Kid as if he was something the cat had dragged in. Kid noticed his look and a feeling of increasing disgust for the man told him something wasn't right about him.

"I need to talk to the Marshal," Kid insisted and took a step in the man's direction.

The middle-aged man looked at him with a smirk. "You wish," he stated.

"Care to elaborate?" Kid was definitely getting teed off by the man's attitude.

"Quit yesterday morning. Just turned in his badge and rode off." The man tobacco on the floor.

"Any other law in town?" Kid urged, hoping this wasn't the only upholder of justice this town had to rely on.

"Nope! Ain't none coming either." The man remarked matter-of-factly.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kid rebutted as he turned around, making his way to the Mayor's office. Leaving the man staring after him. A shadow darkened the deputy's face. Then he shrugged. A young man like that would be no trouble for him and his men, he'd see to that.

 

 

Kid stepped into the Mayor's office. The old Sweetwater Mayor saluted him with a smile. "Well ain't this something," he said rising to shake Kid's hand. "I heard you were moving back. Got the old Waystation, didn't you?" Kid nodded. The Mayor smiled at him. "I heard from Teaspoon you got married. Lou, huh?" At Kid's nod the mayor smiled broadly. "Everybody kept saying there was something goin' on between the two of you."

Kid just smiled back at the man, somewhat embarrassed at the topic.

"You're gonna have your hands full with her, she kind of reminds me of somebody I used to know." The Mayor's eyes stared out the window for a while, lost in memories. Kid just watched the man, wondering what was coming next? Then the Mayor returned from his stroll down memory lane and chuckled while reaching for a paper in his desk drawer. "Finally found out your name too, Kid McCloud, huh?"

Kid smiled as he remembered the name Emma had written on the deed. Kid had decided it was just as good a name as his old one. Teaspoon had obviously found it amusing too if he had decided to use it even though he knew his real name. Clearing his throat he started, "Had some problems yesterday thou'."

He watched the old man sink down into his chair, sighing and motioning for Kid to do the same. As Kid seated himself on he chair opposite the desk, the Mayor looked at the young man in front of him. "Son," the Mayor started, "if you only knew."

 

 

Jimmy was sitting in his office, reminiscing yesterday's events at the Saloon. Meeting some men coming from Sweetwater, he had found out something he considered utterly disturbing. Seemed like a gang was running the town, stealing, murdering and burning down houses. He shrugged at the thought of how bad the situation must be. Those fleeing men had families and owned land around Sweetwater. For them to staple everything they could onto a wagon and head for uncertainty in the middle of the night must mean that things were rather bad in Sweetwater. He wondered what had happened to the peaceful town they had left behind? He was glad Kid declined the Marshal's badge. Still it worried him sick knowing they were out there and he was back here, unable to help them if they needed him. It had made him wander around the house yesterday, unable to rest. It still occupied his mind.

 

 

With a determined look on his face, Kid stepped into the Marshal's Office, the badge evident on his shirt. He stood right in front of the man behind the desk, his stunned eyes glued to the badge.

"Well, deputy Matt O'Brien," Kid spoke calmly. Seeing the man squirm in his seat, he stared calmly at him. Letting him sweat for a while. "There's gonna be some changes around here from now on." The man looked insecurely at him.

"First, there'll be no sitting around chewing tobacco. Get out on the street, keep an eye open and report everything to me."

Matt O'Brien made a smirk.

"Second, any mistakes from your part and you'll be sitting in the cell without a badge."

Matt blinked in surprise, not believing the young mans nerve, talking to him like that. Matt already felt a hate rise in his veins. This young man wouldn't be around for long, he'd make sure of that!

Kid watched the man, his disliking for him growing by the minute. Leaning over the man, he stared him right in the eye. "Last but not least, if anything happens to anybody while I'm away, I'm holding you personally responsible." Letting this sink in, Kid continued in a low menacing voice. "And that goes for everybody in this town, even half-breeds."

Matt O'Brien swallowed. There was something about this man that made him feel uneasy. He could tell that under that gentle appearance was something that could prove itself harder than anything he'd ever seen before. He wasn't so secure anymore. The young man in front of him turned and made his way to the door. Matt O'Brien involuntary went for his gun. He had just put his hand on it when he saw that the young already had turned around, holding his gun pointed at O'Briens head.

O'Brien gulped. "I was just checkin' I had it," he tried to explain to the new Marshal. "Seein' as I'm about to take a stroll around the town."

Kid's eyes stared at him with cold disgust.

"Next time I wouldn't be so fast checkin' it," he said, his voice telling O'Brien what just might happen. "If any trouble occurs, tell the boy at the store to come get me." Kid informed the no longer so cocky man at the desk. "You, I don't want to see anywhere near the old Waystation!"

O'Brien stared at him in surprise, wondering how much he knew and how he knew it.

"Am I makin' myself understood?"

O'Brien nodded, and smiled a smile that never reached his eyes. Kid threw a last disgusted look at him and walked out.

O'Brien finally let out a long breath he'd been holding. This was something he had not expected. He decided to find out more about the young man, and tell the rest to lay low for a while. He had to go carefully about getting rid of this one. He had a feeling it wouldn't be easy this time.

 

 

Kid felt his guts turn at the sight of the man. After what the Mayor had told him, he was sure the Deputy was in on it all. But he had to find out who else was behind all the changes in Sweetwater. And he had to get some proof. One man couldn't be behind all the occurred events in town. But first of all the had to tell Lou about his decision.

That scared him more than anything else.

He had almost promised her not to do this. He hated doing what he was doing to her right now. But he hoped she'd understand. When he told her what the Mayor had told him, she would understand. Spurring Katy into a fast canter he thought about how to break this news to Lou. When he got closer to their new homestead, he wasn't so sure she would anymore. He felt like letting her and their plans for the future down, and he didn't know why he felt this way? But something about this whole matter made him tremble. He knew he had to do this, he just didn't know how to explain it to Lou.


	5. Chapter 5

Buck noticed Kid's strange mode of arrival at an early stage, due to his elevated position, fixing the roof. He watched Kid's approach with interest. First he could see only a dust cloud moving towards the Waystation. Aware of the situation, he immediately placed the rifle closer to his reach. Then he realized it was Katy and Buck smiled to himself realizing that Kid would always have a hard time avoiding recognition, thanks to his mare. His horse would promptly announce his arrival. Then when Kid came into sight, he slowed Katy down, first to a trot, then to a walk. Finally the Kid halted his horse and obviously just sat there.

Buck wondered what he was doing? Watching him with squinted eyes, he thought maybe Katy had gotten a stone in her hoof or something like that. But Kid didn't get off his horse, he just sat there. Buck couldn't tell what he was looking at, he was still too far away.

Then the Kid leaned over the neck his horse, covering his head with his arm. Buck narrowed his eyes, desperately trying to make out what happened out there? Maybe he was hurt? The thought ran trough his head as he rose, carefully making his way to the ladder. Then he watched Kid straighten himself in the saddle, letting Katy walk home. Then it dawned on Buck, Kid was coming home with bad news. The knuckles on Buck's hand on the ladder turned white.

 

 

Rachel stormed into the Marshal's Office with a paper in her hand.

"Oh Jimmy," she squealed. "Teaspoon's coming back!"

Jimmy had adopted Teaspoon mode of sitting by the desk. Casually and with his feet on the desktop in front of him. He had just moderated it a bit, letting the chair sway on two legs. He almost fell off the chair when it swung uncontrollably backwards at Rachel's sudden entrance.

"What? He just left?" Jimmy was baffled, trying to regain a somewhat more honorable sitting position.

Rachel's eyes glittered with laughter. "They obviously told him he's too old to be on a battlefield." She chuckled happily. "And he's mad as hell about it, for what it seems."

Jimmy couldn't hide his relief. "Thank God," he sighed, making his way over to Rachel's side. "Lemme see," he urged her, reaching for the paper. Rachel unfolded it solemnly, holding it so they both could read:

" **coming home _stop_ too old _stop_ they will soon regret this _stop_ Teaspoon** "

They both glanced at each other, Rachel stifling a giggle.

"Phew," Jimmy let out "Another one safe!" he smiled in Rachel direction. To his surprise he saw Rachel's mood shift. A shadow crossing her face.

"What?" he urged her as she hastily put the telegram back into her pocket.

"Nothing," she mumbled turning away, heading for the door.

"Don't gimme that Rachel! What's up?" Jimmy took a hold of her shoulder, forcing her to look at him. "Rachel?" he pleaded.

She gave him a slight smile. "It's just me bein' silly," she said. "I've had these nightmares and I guess they've made me wonder."

"About the ones in Sweetwater?" Jimmy asked quietly, watching her closely. Rachel's eyes widened in surprise.

"Jimmy?" She inquired. "How'd you know?"

Jimmy sighed. "Coz' I've had them too, and I wasn't even sleeping!"

 

 

Kid dismounted with a heavy heart. He could see three pairs of eyes scrutinizing him from the verandah. Hesitantly he took the gear off Katy, leading her into the newly built corral. He had been careful to hide the badge from their view. But now there was no turning back. As he stepped toward his friends, he felt all of them stare him down. His eyes searched Lou's, but they were glued to the star he wore on his shirt. She didn't move. Kid's heart began to beat faster as he witnessed the anger rise in her. Her jawline turning hard.

"Lou," he began softly, seeing only her. She didn't react. He took three long steps up on the verandah, placing himself in front of her. "Lou, we need to talk." he said, gingerly reaching out a hand to touch her. She violently boxed his hand away from her.

"Damn you, Kid!" she growled at him trough clenched teeth.

"Lou?" He repeated helplessly, his shoulders sinking in despair. Finally she turned two burning eyes at him. He almost stepped back in fear of the anger glowing in them.

"Damn you," she repeated as the look in her eyes turned from anger to sorrow. He instinctively threw his arms around her, hugging her close to him, rocking her gently. She struggled against his hold at first, her clinched fists against his chest.

"Louise, we need to talk," he repeated softly against her hair. "Just hear me out. This is something that has to be done, Lou." He heard Buck and Dawn move slightly closer to them. He held on to Lou, still rocking her in his embrace.

"Why Kid, why?" Lou's voice was still thick of anger.

"Somebody has to take a stand in this matter, Louise," he spoke into her hair. "And I already have."

"You promised not to ride on without me ever again, remember?"

"Lou!" Her reaction surprised him, it wasn't like he was leaving her behind. "I'm still here, Lou, always will be."

"Why you Kid, why does it have to be you?"

Kid had no answer to this question, he didn't know himself. He just knew the things the Mayor had told him had made him realize it had to be stopped.   
"They killed a baby in her crib, Lou." His voice was full of sorrow as he spoke.

Lou lifted her face to his, her eyes horrified. Kid nodded and pulled her even closer, he didn't want to see the hurt in her eyes. Knowing he was the one to have put it there. "They killed the baby and its mother in the middle of the night, shooting aimlessly into a house. When the father came forth to tell the Marshal about what he had seen, they both were killed, the Marshal and the man about to testify."

He heard Dawn gasp. He swallowed before he continued. "There was a six year old son in the family too. The men killed him next, when he was walking to school, in the middle of the street. Right before the eyes of his teacher."

Lou stared at him with disbelief. Kid didn't know how to continue, the disgust of the men doing this made his voice tremble. "The next day, they killed the young schoolteacher during the children's recess. They all saw their beloved teacher lying in her own blood when they came back in, Lou! These men ain't like nothing I've heard about before."

Lou shivered and hid her face against Kid's shirtfront.

"That's just how it all began," Kid added. "Lately an old couple were found by their grandchildren. Both shot in their heads while sitting on a verandah just like this one. Nobody had seen anything."

Lou held him close now, he could feel her breath falter of shock at what he just had told them. He cupped his hands around her face, looking into her eyes, filled with fear and sorrow.

"That's why, Lou."

"And he wont be alone, Lou." Buck stepped up behind them laying a hand on Lou's shoulder. His pale face showing his disgust over what he just had heard. Kid raised his eyes to met Buck's, not wanting him to get involved. But the look in Buck's eyes told him Buck had made up his mind too. Kid turned his eyes to Dawn, standing at Buck's side. Her eyes were filling with tears, but she fought hard to hold them back. Buck pulled his wife closer. Looking deep into her eyes, he told her softly, "It's gotta be done, Dawn."

Dawn looked up at him for a long while before she swallowed hard and nodded. "I know, Buck!"

 

 

That evening at supper, the Cross-McCloud household was subdued. They ate in silence after Kid had told them what he knew. Lou was just staring down onto her plate, aimlessly poking the food with her fork. It was late already, the darkness outside feeling threatening. She felt Kid's gaze on her as they all sat around the table, waiting for her to finish her dinner.

The sight of food made her feel sick. In her mind, pictures of a hurt Kid kept popping up and she tried desperately to fight them off. Her mood kept swinging from rage to fearful sorrow and back again. She didn't even dare to look at her husband, not trusting herself and her own feelings. Deep inside she knew he was right. She'd known right from the start that Kid wouldn't just stand by, watching his family being threatened or hurt. Or anybody else for that matter, as long as he was able to prevent it, he would try to do so. She loved him for the gentle caring side of his nature, but right now she hated him for the same reason. Memories washed over her and she felt the tears rise in her eyes. She swallowed hard to fight them away. _And Buck_ , she thought, _why would he insist on being deputized? He has Dawn and a baby to think about._

The notion of Buck getting hurt or killed finally filled her eyes with tears. She felt Kid touch her arm lightly

"Lou, you alright?" he spoke with a concerned voice. Lou didn't bother to answer. _Of course I'm not alright_ , she wanted to scream, _you two are going to get yourself killed you damned fools!_ But she just recoiled from his touch, the anger rising in her again. Making her hit the plate hard with the fork. She sensed all three of them staring at her.

"Lou, please try to eat something," Kid pleaded. "It'll make you feel better."

 _He thinks me eating will make me feel better,_ she thought bitterly, _how stupid can you get?_ Suddenly she felt she just had to get out of there. She rose with a speed that made the fork fly from her hand and clash to the floor. She didn't look at anyone when she leaped for the door, desperate to get out.

 

For a split second Kid stared at Lou before he rose and ran after her, almost making the table turn over in his haste.

Buck's surprised eyes followed them until they were out of his sight. Then he turned to Dawn with an apologetic face. "I don't know what's a matter with Lou," he complained. Dawn silently lifted the fork from the floor.

"Buck, she's scared for you both, just like I am," she informed him, looking at him calmly.

Buck rose to sit close to her, hugging her into his lap. "Don't be Dawn, we'll be alright. And Kid's right, if everything the Mayor told him is true, this town won't last long. And this is our home."

"That doesn't take away the scare, Buck."

"Still wanna stay?" he asked her, gazing into her eyes. Dawn looked right back at him, her lower lip slightly protruded. The stubborn face she made at him made him smile and kiss her. "I know Dawn, you told me."

"Just - you know."

"I know," Buck said, smiling reassuringly at her. He wasn't sure himself if he was doing the right thing, but he knew, just like Kid, it had to be done. He intensely wished nobody would have to regret this decision. Most of all he wished Dawn wouldn't have to regret anything. He'd do everything to be there for her and for their child, and he knew Dawn knew it.

She smiled back at him, curling up beside him. Thoughtfully she directed her eyes in the direction Kid and Lou had made their rapid departure.

"Lou's really upset," she stated softly.

"She's not usually like this," Buck continued. "I've never seen her so, so sensitive before."

Dawn looked at him, a smile dancing in her eyes.

"You don't say, Buck?" she inquired, looking meaningfully at him. "Strange mood-swings, huh?"

Buck just looked at her, trying to guess what she was getting at. Dawn let out a soft giggle.

"It reminds me of something, but I just can't put my finger on it." Buck stated with a frown while resting his chin on Dawn's shoulder, rocking her in his arms. He could feel her body shake from laughter.

"I beat it does!"

"What?" Buck urged, still not getting it. Dawn just leaned in on his chest and laughed softly. "Dancing does things to you at times."

Buck still was at a loss, looking at her with raised eyebrows. Then it dawned on him. Lou's behavior was very much like Dawn's had been, right before she found out. He remembered the times she had almost scared the wits out of him. His face frowned slightly from the memories as he stared dumbfounded at her.

This made Dawn keel over with laughter.


	6. Chapter 6

Kid reached Lou when she was halfway to the corral. Her having to lift the dress to avoid tripping slowed her down. He took hold of her by her shoulders and held on carefully, not knowing what was coming next.

"Lou, what's a matter?" he urged. Not having seen her like this before scared him. She turned on him, her eyes shooting lightnings in his direction. He was silenced by the rage in those eyes. They just stood there for a moment, Lou staring him down. Kid shifting uneasy.

"Louise, please," he tried again, lowering his head in a pleading gesture, looking to the ground to avoid the rage in her eyes. She didn't budge, she just stood there. Kid was getting nervous about this whole thing. Afraid Lou would leave him if he went through with it, he himself had started to wonder if it was such a good idea? He lifted his eyes to tell her that when he saw tears running down her face.

"God! Lou, talk to me! What's a matter?" He had to lean in to look at her closer, the darkness making it hard to see the expression on her face. She stared at him, her brown eyes now filled with tears, with no trace of the earlier rage. He took one step forward to embrace his tiny wife. He knew something must be terribly wrong from the way she was acting. He forgot everything about the troubles in Sweetwater, his concern for Lou pushing all other troubles far behind in his mind. She started to cry on his shoulder. He caressed her hair in silence, still bewildered at the fast changes in her mood. A few seconds ago she had looked as if she were ready to shoot him.

She mumbled something into his shoulder, Kid couldn't make out what.

"Lou, I can't hear you." He tried to lower his ear to her lips, but she pressed her face into his chest. Her fingers buried in his shirt, holding on for dear life. He decided to let her be for a moment, to calm down. He held her while she was sobbing and mumbling into his shirt, but her actions were making him worry himself sick. When he tried to talk to her again, getting no answers, he lifted her into his arms and started for the house. Talking softly to her, he carried her all the way to their bedroom, to finally sit her down on the bed. Feeling her forehead with his hand, she recoiled angrily. Kid sighed in despair, not knowing what to do.

 

Kid's face when she withdrew from his touch finally made Lou break down. "I'm sorry Kid, I'm so sorry," she sobbed laying down on the bed, hiding her face in the pillow.

"Lou, please, where's the hurt? You want me to go get the doctor?"

"Nooo!" she squealed. "Dammit Kid, I ain't sick!"

"Tell me what's wrong then? I cant stand seein' you like this!" Kid bent over her to whisper in her ear.

"Hell, I don't know Kid, I'm just so tired -." she was finally calming down. How could she explain to him what she herself didn't understand? She felt stupid and ashamed over her actions. And she felt dead tired. And scared to death over Kid's decision. But she couldn't tell him that. That would be like telling him he wasn't man enough! And that she wasn't woman enough to stand by him.

 

Kid looked at his wife's back for a while, not understanding anything right now.

"Lou, let me help you undress," he spoke as he turned her around. Lou was limp and powerless, as he helped her get into her nightgown. She looked at him with her big brown eyes, but ndidn't say a word. The silence scared the wits out of him. He covered her with the blankets, tucking her in. She just laid there, her eyes glued to him, making him feel guilty, as if he had hurt her. He decided to leave her alone for a while. Kissing her forehead, he started for the door. The action made Lou sit herself up on the bed.

"Dammit Kid, ar'ya intendin' to leave me alone?" she growled at him, forcefully throwing a pillow at him.

Kid stopped in his stride when the pillow hit his back. Hearing the anger in her voice, he realized that she was back in that mood again. Fearfully he made his way back to the bed.

"Of course not Lou," he said as he undressed to lie besides her. "Come here," he whispered taking her into his arms. Lou rested her head on his chest, holding him tight.

"If only Jimmy or Teaspoon were here," she sighed.

Kid almost jerked. "Jimmy?" he asked in a insecure voice. "You want Jimmy to get here?"

Lou just sighed. "Kid, please don't start again! I just would like them all to be here to keep an eye on you, on both of ya!"

"Lou everything's gonna be fine."

"Promise me that, swear on everything you hold holy, Kid! Can you do that?" Her voice was thick.

"I promise Lou, I do."

 

He felt her relax and her grip on him loosened slightly. He listened carefully as her breathing became more even, like in sleep. It hurt the very core of his being that in a time of need she asked for Jimmy. Was she regretting her decision already? The words she had spoken had cut like a knife. She obviously still considered Jimmy more capable than him. The revelation made him understand that he still had a lot to prove to her. And he promised himself he would. He didn't know how to prove that she could be safe with him, but he knew he had to.

Staring into the nigh,t he wished the darkness would bring him the answer.

 

 

Rachel woke up from an other night of vivid nightmares. She couldn't take it any longer, she had to get to Sweetwater, at any cost. She decided to ask Mrs. Althorpe to fill in for her at the school. Something wasn't right, she just knew it. Lou kept screaming of despair in her dreams, and Rachel kept waking up in a cold sweat every night. Her family needed her, she knew that. Her dreams were trying to tell her something, but the dreams were never the same. Though they always ended in the same manner, Lou screaming in despair or like a deadly wounded animal. The echo of the screams always waking her up. She decided to talk to Jimmy, she knew she had to take action. With that, she rose and started packing, come what may, she would get to Sweetwater. Her eyes fell on the letter she had written Lou, but never got around to post, afraid her writing would reveal the fear she felt every time she let her mind wander to Sweetwater. All that was going to change now, she had to find out what these dreams were all about.

 

Jimmy was nodding off at his desk, his hat over his eyes. He had been awakened by Rachel's walking around on the second floor last night. Lying wide awake on his bed, wondering what she was doing had led his thoughts to Sweetwater, wondering what they were doing. Instantly the uneasy feeling had overwhelmed him. Trying to shake it off, he had laid there forcing his mind in other directions. That hadn't worked, they kept leaping back to what he had heard. Men killing babies in their cribs. Men about to testify getting killed. Houses burnt down in the middle of the night. People found dead on their homesteads and nobody dared to speak up. He knew Kid and Lou would, if trouble ever came their way. So would Buck and most certainty Dawn. If he knew them right, they were in the middle of it already. Question was only in the middle of what? He had a strong feeling he ought to find out. The thoughts had left him sleepless, like every night for the past few days.

The sleepless nights were taking their toll. When he sat with his desk chair leaning up against the wall, feet up and his hat giving him a sweet shade, he fell into a slumber.

He was dreaming he was back riding for the Pony Express. Teaspoon was shouting at him. "Get up, you lazy goddam hair trigger!" Jimmy smiled in his dream. Teaspoon's voice sounded so real, it was just like he was in the room. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder

"Son, you still got the notion you have to sleep away you whole darned life, don't you?"

Jimmy realized it wasn't a dream after all. He tried to get up from the chair, forgetting where his feet were. It caused him to fall down to the floor and hit his head to the wall behind.

"Goddammit Teaspoon," he growled when he picked himself up. Teaspoon was standing in front of him, grinning widely.

"Good mornin' Jimmy," he said with a smirk. "Oh, pardon me, I mean good afternoon."

Jimmy's hand went to the back of his head, checking for a probable bulge. A head-injry would be bothersome in his line of work. But the feeling of being caught red-handed with sleeping on his job bothered him even more. "Well, - uh, Teaspoon," he started embarrassed.

Teaspoon interrupted him promptly. "Yeah, don't tell me, the marshalin's real hard, ain't it?"

Jimmy just smiled sheepishly, trying to straighten the hat to look somewhat more appropriate for his role as Marshal of Rock Creek. Somehow he didn't feel very efficient after his fall. Teaspoon went over to scrutinize the chair Jimmy had sat on. "You managed to break it," he mumbled. "Anything else broken in Rock Creek?"

Jimmy shook his head. "Only my nerves, I ain't ever had it so peaceful in my whole life. And it's killing me."

Teaspoon threw a glance in his direction. "I went by the house to talk to Rachel," he confessed. "Seems she going to Sweetwater as soon as she gets somebody to fill in for her at the school." Teaspoon was scrutinizing Jimmy. "Heard you were frettin' over them too, care to tell me what you know?"

Jimmy sighed and spilled the beans. He carefully removed the badge while telling what little he knew. When he finished, he looked Teaspoon right in the eye. "You're gonna have to take the badge back. I'm goin' with Rachel."

"Put the badge back on son, you're deputized."

"You don't understand Teaspoon, I gotta go!"

"I know Jimmy. An' I'm comin' with ya."

"You can't leave Rock Creek without any law, Teaspoon!" Jimmy protested.

"I'll deputize Grandpa' Jefferson," Teaspoon smiled. "Sitting outside the saloon all day long, he outta do just fine on the job."

Jimmy smiled at him, remembering the telegram he couldn't help but rub it in a bit. "I thought you was too old for this."

Teaspoon snorted. "I'll show them who's too old, the goddamm-still-wet-behind-the-ears-good-for-nothings," he let out in one long sentence full of contempt.

"Gosh! Old man, don't strain yourself," Jimmy grinned, tapping Teaspoon on the shoulder.

"Jimmy!" Teaspoon warned with a smirk. "I might just arrest you for harassing the elders! Just shut up and get yourself ready for Sweetwater."

Teaspoon tried to keep a stern face, but witnessing Jimmy's face light up with the usual grin, he couldn't help but grin happily himself.

Jimmy did not need to be told twice, he almost stumbled out of the office in his hurry. Teaspoon followed him out sighing; 'youngens'.


	7. Chapter 7

Lou woke with a startle, sensing something was not like it was supposed to be. Turning to her side, she noticed Kid was up already. She silently cursed his decision not to wake her up. Then she felt a shiver down her spine, waking up without Kid at her side made her realize that the way things were turning, maybe one day he wouldn't be there ever again.

Shrugging, she leaped out of bed, dressing herself in her old clothes, trying to get back to her own self. Not liking the thoughts running around in her head or the feelings overwhelming her lately, making her act crazy. To feel closer to Kid, she took one of his shirts to put on. Watching herself in the mirror over the dresser, she shook her head slightly at the picture. The shirt reached to her knees and she smiled at herself. _I've longed to wear dresses and see what I wind up wearing!_

"Well," she told the picture in the mirror. "Womanhood ain't in the clothes." And she knew being a woman was so much more than looking like one. Even though finally being able to act and look like a woman, made her feel at ease with herself, most of the times anyways. Her hair now reaching her shoulders, made her face look fuller, softer. Or? She stepped up closer to the mirror watching herself closely. I'm I getting fat already? Something about her face was bothering her. It bothered her the same way her old shirts seemed too tight these days bothered her. She had always wished she looked more like a woman, but now there was something else happening to her. She just knew that. Suddenly she couldn't stand seeing herself in the mirror anymore; she shrugged and turned her back on the changes in herself.

She made her way to the kitchen where she could hear Dawn singing to herself, while working.

"Mornin'," she spoke to announce her arrival. "What time is it, why didn't you wake me? Dawn you really should be resting and not doing all the work around here and where's Kid and Buck?"

Dawn smiled and shook her head. Counting on the finger she started to answer all the inquiries, and scoldings, Lou had made in one sentence.

"Let see now, mornin' to you too, Kid told us to let you sleep a little longer and they went to town, obviously they got some work to do and by the way how ar'ya?" With the last question Dawn tilted her head to get a better look at Lou.

"I'm fine." Lou answered stunned. "Why shouldn't I be?"

"Kid seemed so worried this mornin'," Dawn informed her casually.

Lou frowned. "Why?"

Dawn just smiled at her. "Want some breakfast?"

Lou shook her head. "It'll have to wait, I have to tend to the horses first! And feed those goddam chickens."

Dawn stopped her and guided her to the table. "Already taken care of," she informed her, placing a plate in front of her. Lou sighed, she knew Kid had been up before dawn tending to her shores.   
"The bullheaded mealy mouth," she mumbled to herself.

Dawn threw her a surprised look.

"Ain't right him doin' my chores," Lou explained with a sullen face.

"I think he wanted to," Dawn said, sitting down in front of her. "He even offered to cook up something for dinner tonight. Buck declined his offer," she added with a laugh at Lou's glance.

"I'll have to make dinner for a week by my count," Lou stated subdued. "You did everything yesterday, I don't know what came over me?" She sighed, remembering last night. "I'm sorry Dawn, it won't happen again."

Dawn giggled happily, "Don't worry 'bout that! Now tell me the truth, do you feel like eatin'?"

"I'm hungry like a wolf," Lou declared, reaching for the bread.

"Yep, dancin' can make you hungry too." Dawn replied, rising from the table, leaving Lou staring after her with an open mouth and the piece of bread halfway on its way to it.

 

 

"Buck, why have the raids only been occurring in this part of town?" Kid was pointing at the map, where they had drawn crosses for every incident in the past months.

Buck was staring intensely at the map, trying to figure out the reason."I don't know Kid, you sure the Mayor remembers right?"

Kid threw his hands up in the air. "He's the only one we've got to trust. You've seen the O'Brien character. I wouldn't trust him as far as I can throw him."

Buck smiled, he knew exactly what Kid meant, the Deputy was scum. And the Kid was right, he was most certainty involved in it all. Why would he have survived the last for Marshal's if he wasn't in the middle of i all? Kid and him had sent him home, ordering him to get back in time for night-watch. Hoping they could get some work done without the Deputy meddling. Buck sighed as he remembered the folk's reactions to their inquiries, nobody seemed willing to talk. Everybody getting a scared look on their faces swhen they approached. Buck had soon realized they would not get any help from the townfolks. They would have to rely on each other.

"Kid, I'm riding out there, just to have a quick look."

"It's gonna get dark soon, don't you think we outta wait till tomorrow?"

"You try to find out who's been wanting those places that has been burnt or attached. I'll go, that way we can get back home sooner."

"Ok let's get goin'," Kid was already on his way out when Buck reached to stop him.

"Hold on Kid, you ain't listenin', you better stay here, better leave some law in town."

Kid frowned and shook his head "No I'm comin' too,"

"Kid!" Buck sighed and pushed his friend down on the chair decisively. "You'd better stay."

"I don't like it you being alone out there!"

"I'll be fine Kid," Buck smiled at his friends concern. "You watch your back," he advised before stepping out.

"Ride Safe!" Kid's words followed him out on the street.

 

Buck was riding around in the well known terrain around Sweetwater. As he passed one abandoned homestead after another the happenings in the area seemed more and more puzzling to him. Why would all these people be forced to abandon their homes? And why would the new owners keep the homesteads slowly decaying, left to their own? He surveyed the plains for some explanations. But every abandoned place looked the same. Reached the place of the killings of the old Thatcher couple, he shuddered witnessing the dried blood on the porch. Nobody had bothered to clean up the place, leaving sickening traces of death behind. He turned his horse and galloped away, not exactly knowing where he was going next? Urging his horse to run fast; he just wanted to get away from the evidence of cruelty.

At the ridge, looking down on the old Miller place, he abruptly yanked at the reins.

There were five horses in the corral. He searched his mind, had he got it wrong? Wasn't the Miller place one of the abandoned ones? He stared for a moment at the place, maybe he outta go down there and talk to the new inhabitants? But something held him back. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the old house, he just didn't like the feeling of the place. Seeing a window blind move, he turned his horse and spurred him towards Sweetwater.

 

Behind the window blinds a man lowered his gun, cursing himself for losing his aim. A second man watched the rider disappear behind the threes. "Don't worry, they'll be back," he promised.

"An' then we'll be ready," the first man responded, rising to his feet and securing his gun. "No law's gonna stop us, we're too close."

The second man, dressed in a fashionable suit, smiled grimly. "No law, no nothing's gonna stop us! Certainly no goddam Marshal with a half-breed for a Deputy."

The man watching him involuntary shuddered at the evil in the voice.

 

Darkness fell fast while Buck made his way back to Sweetwater. His thoughts were whirling as he pondered on the old Miller place. Maybe Kid had got it all wrong? Usually he didn't, but why would there suddenly be people when all the other places where still abandoned? Finally spotting the buildings of Sweetwater in the distance, he faintly heard a gunshot ring out. Immediately he understood who was the target.

"No!" He hollered and spurred his tired horse, leaning forward to make the horse run faster. "I shouldn't have left him alone," he yelled, the horse running wild over the plains. "Kid, remember your promise," he prayed quietly as the the town came closer.

 

 

Kid was watching the documents he held in his hand. Documents declaring the new owners of the places that had been abandoned in the recent months. Every place had been purchased, but by different persons. He stared at the names of the new owners. Still something wasn't right about the whole thing. Not one of the new owners had moved in or done anything to their new homesteads. Why?

He laid the papers to rest on the desk. Buck had been out for a long while now and it was already dark outside. He decided it was time to go look ,for his friend. Stepped to the door, he saw a paper on the floor. In the same instance that he bent down to pick it up a gunshot rang out, the bullet crashing the window sending an explosion of glass around the room. Kid threw himself to the floor, rolling around to get flat up against the wall. He felt immobilized for a moment. Not having been prepared made him curse himself for his foolishness. He waited for an another shot, but outside the town had silenced itself completely. Even the piano at the Saloon had stopped playing. Kid opened the door, stepping back as it flew open. Staring down the street he saw nothing. Then something caught his eye, a shadow was moving in the facility of the hotel. He cocked his gun and stepped out on the street, carefully avoiding being caught from the back. He made his way to where the shadow had been but when he got there, he saw nothing but an empty alley. He heard a horse approaching and turned his gun in the direction of the sound. To his relief he recognized Buck, galloping fast in his direction.

Buck threw himself off the horse before it came to a complete halt. "Kid, you alright?"

Kid just nodded in reply, staring down the dark alley.

"What happened?" Buck asked, having heard the shot from a far, he had expected the worst.

Kid face turned into a bitter smile. "Somebody decided they don't like us very much, guess they'd rather see us dead." Buck watched him calmly, waiting for further explanations.

"I think he escaped down this way." Kid nodded in the direction of the alley.

Buck looked into the alley, no signs of anybody along the street now. "No chance finding him now. Not with the townsfolk declining to talk," Buck pondered.

"I know, but at least we know how they go about things," Kid snorted. "They like to creep up from behind."

 

Making their way back to the Marshal's Office, both men kept their senses tuned in on their surroundings, not knowing what to expect. Buck gasped as he stepped in, there were splints of glass all over the floor. A bullet lodged in the wall behind the desk. Kid saw his look and shrugged his shoulders,Ca proceeding to carefully gather the documents he had been examining. He figured he better keep them somewhere safe, out of sight from Deputy O'Brien. Making his way around Buck to get the paper off of the floor, he saw O'Brien approach. With a quick glance at the paper he realized it was just another copy of a deed he had dropped and quickly tucked it in his pocket with the others. He needed to see the originals.

"What happened here?" O'Brien asked in mock surprise. Kid gave him a dirty look. Anybody in the town ought to have heard the gunshot. O'Brien faking he hadn't only affirmed Kid's suspicions. Kid had a strong feeling it was O'Brien holding the gun that had almost sent him to Kingdom come. Glancing at Buck he knew Buck held the same opinion, proving it though, was a whole other matter.

Buck simply said; "Let's go home!" Kid just nodded and followed hi out of the office. Both of them stopping at the door, staring down the obviously uneasy Deputy. Buck stayed behind for an other second, the calm despising look in his eyes making the Deputy take a hesitant step backwards. The cowardly look on O'Brien's face made Buck realize their suspicions were right on. He sighed before closing the door on O'Brien.

When they halted their horses in the yard and saw both girls step out on the verandah, Kid turned to Buck. "Let's keep quiet about this, huh?"

Buck turned to his friend while taking the tack of his horse. "Don't you think they outta know?"

Kid threw a warning glance in his direction, shaking his head. Buck wasn't so sure they outta keep them out og the loop, but if Kid felt that way he was free to keep things from Lou. But Buck knew he would have to tell Dawn.

"Buck, she'll probably shoot me herself if she finds out, and the way -," Kid let his voice trail off, not knowing exactly how to put his worries about Lou's moods lately into words.

 

But Buck knew what he meant, but since he couldn't tell the Kid about Dawn's, and his, suspicions, he felt he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Things were getting complicated.

 

Both girls were on their way over. Lou walking briskly towards them and Dawn taking it a bit slower. Buck smiled as he watched his wife holding her protruding stomach protectively while she walked. Dawn lifted her eyes and smiled at him, knowing exactly why he was smiling. Kid followed Buck's eyes and had to hide a smile seeing the happiness that shone in Buck's. He was content to see that Buck finally had found his place on earth. His smile grew wider when the two met and hugged each other. Dawn's voice slightly trembling as she scolded Buck for being late. And Buck silencing her with a kiss.

Kid let Katy loose in the corral and turned to Lou with his arms stretched out to take her into his lap. She threw her arms around his neck, kissing him on the lips while he chuckled happily, immensely grateful to have her in his lap. Then she stiffened and pulled herself away from him, watching his shirt.

"Kid, why do you have glass splinters all over ya?"

Kid's eyes flew involuntary in Buck's direction, looking for a lie to save his skin. Buck looked away, only to have Dawn steady him to his place, forcing him to meet her inquiring eyes. In that instance Buck knew there was no way hiding what had happened.

Kid fought to make something up. "I - er, I fell though a glass window," he tried with an insecure smile at Lou.

She just took him by his ears, pulling his face closer to hers. "You're a goddam lousy liar, Kid!"


	8. Chapter 8

Deputy O'Brien was all but content over last night's events. He couldn't figure out how the new Marshal had avoided his bullet. He had been careful to watch him and shoot at a time when he seemed absentminded enough not to react in time. _Just my luck_ , he thought, _this one must be the kind that's born lucky!_ He had made his way to the hiding place fast. He hoped he had been fast enough, but the Marshal and the new deputy seemed to suspect him. He was going to have to do something about the situation fast. The men that gave him the orders would not be pleased with him over this. They had ordered the Marshal dead as soon as possible. O'Brien sighed, he understood now that it wouldn't be as easy as he had thought. Finding out something about the young Marshal and his aid was just as difficult. But the knowledge that they had ridden with the Pony Express, together with Hickok made him nervous. The notion that they had been deputized by the notorious Teaspoon Hunter at several occasions just went to prove that the task at hand wouldn't be easy. He'd better have a chat with his boss, he didn't know how long he could keep the new lawmen from finding out what was going on. He knew that both the new Marshal and the Deputy had wives. He'd heard that one of them was a crack shooter and a tough one, having worked for the Pony Express alongside her husband. Having arisen their suspicions, he wasn't so keen on barging in on them at their home. He would have to come up with a diversion. He smiled as a devilish plan started forming in his head. He'd see to it they regretted ever coming to Sweetwater before they died. He just knew his boss would love the scheme he was planning.

 

Lou was all but happy with the Kid having dragged the truth out of him. "Can't you see you need help!" she yelled at him. "Send for the Territorial Marshal!"

"Ain't got no evidence of nothin' Lou!"

"What you call that bullet hole in the wall then? Or do you need one in your thick head to finally wake up?"

"It didn't happen Lou, it wasn't even close!"

Lou just stared at him in disbelief, what was he trying to prove? She just couldn't understand that he didn't see that they need help? "You're in too deep, Kid, can't you see!" she growled at him, desperately trying to make him change his mind.   
"Buck, please, you'll both get killed, is it worth it?" she pleaded, turning to the couple standing behind them, watching them. They didn't budge. Lou noticed Dawn shift uneasy. "Dawn, tell'em!" she begged.

"Lou, they've made up their minds, you know that," Dawn spoke softly. "And you now how pigheaded the are."

Buck held on to Dawn, watching Lou rage and rant. Meeting Lou's furious eyes, he tried to calm her down.

"It's gonna be fine Lou, you'll have to trust us," he spoke, trying to install some security in her.

"Lou," Kid pleaded, reaching out to touch her. "As soon as we get some proof, or even some idea who's behind it all, we'll send for help."

Lou turned on him again, her eyes fierce. "It just might be too late by then you miserable fools, can't you see where this is heading? The only one sending for somebody will be me sending for people to attend your funerals!"

"Lou," Kid tried again to reach for her but she recoiled angrily.

"I'm goin' to get you some help with this," she told him firmly. "Ain't sittin' around here watching this!"   
She turned around and walked briskly into the house, leaving the Kid speechless. And hurt that she's effectively had told him he wasn't man enough to take care of the situation. Now he knew that she considered him a lesser man. The hurt the words she had spoken provoked, was soul shattering. He just knew she was talking about Jimmy, and that she trusted Jimmy more than she trusted him.

 

Buck stared at his two friends. He had thought married life would calm them down, but it didn't seem that way. He noticed Dawn glance at him from the side, signaling unease about what was going on. Kid just stood there, watching Lou walk away with an angry demeanor, slamming the door behind her as she entered the house.

Then he turned to Buck and Dawn with an apologetic look on his face.

"Gotta go clean the stalls," he mumbled and left.

Buck could see something more than the incident in town was bothering him. He couldn't help but wonder what?

Dawn tugged at his sleeve, her worried eyes piercing him. "Buck, you alright?"

He turned to his wife smiling reassuringly at her. "I wasn't even there, I just heard the gunshot."

"Next time it could be you," she spoke with a thick voice, her eyes fixed on his. "An' maybe you won't be so lucky!"

Buck knew she was right, but he also knew he couldn't leave it like this, him and Kid had taken on a task and they had to see it through. "Dawn, I'll be careful, I promise."

"That's what you both keep doin', promising," she rebutted, her eyes glimmering of tears. Buck took her into his arms and hugged her tightly. This tie she seemed unable to find a rainbow in the storm. And that was not like her.

Buck hoped she would see one in the end.

He tried to lift the mood. "Dawn, right now I'm more concerned about what Lou might do to the Kid than anything else."

Finally he saw the smile in her eyes again when she nodded; "I think we outta get them dancin' again."

 

 

Lou stood in the shadow of the barn door, watching the Kid feed the horses. She just looked at him, watching his every move. Relieved nothing had happened to him, but still angry at him for insisting on putting his life on the line. He hadn't been in at all since she left him standing by the corral. She had a feeling he avoided her, and she felt guilty. It hadn't been her intention to get angry at him, again. The fear she felt made her lash out, at the fear itself. Not at Kid. But she knew herself how it had seemed, she knew she had to make him understand somehow.

He hadn't noticed her yet. Fully concentrated on his task, he portioned the oat to the horses. Mumbling something to each one of them, giving them a friendly pat. Katy got more than just one pat and Lou smiled at herself, still feeling somewhat jealous over the attention Katy got from the Kid. She knew she was being more than a tad silly, but she just couldn't help herself. Smiling as he came closer, she awaited his reaction when he'd finally detect her. He came out of the last stall, obviously totally lost in his thoughts. Lou couldn't help but wonder about what was going on in his mind.

"Lou?" He exhaled in surprise when she stepped out from the dark, placing herself in front of him.

Lou smiled at him, watching his nervous manners as he fumbled with the sink. Sometimes he was so sweet it made her heart take leaps of joy.

"Kid, it's supper time," she informed him, taking his arm and gently tugging at it, trying to let him know she wasn't angry at him. That she hadn't really ever been. And that she in fact was ashamed over her own behavior.

"How long have you been standin' here?" he asked with a faint smile.

"Long enough to figure out Cody was right," she told him teasingly.

Kid watched her with curved eyebrows. "Right 'bout what?"

"You actually do talk more to your horse than you do to your girl!"

Kid smiled innocently and looked to the ground. Lou threw her arms around him. "I'm sorry Kid, I didn't mean to yell at ya'! It's just that it scares me you being out there, getting shot at."

"I know Lou, but everything will be just fine."

"I know Kid, you keep tellin' me that." She spoke in a low voice, face pressed to his shoulder.

 

He held her close and closed his eyes. Knowing she didn't trust him still hurt, but he couldn't tell her that. He couldn't tell her he had been wondering if she regretted her choice of marrying him and that she'd maybe rather be with Jimmy right now? And he was too afraid to ask. He was afraid he'd see it in her eyes if she lied to him. He sighed and lowered his forehead to her shoulder, trying desperately to find something to say to make her know he'd do everything in his power not to let her down. Wishing intensely that she'd believe in him and not just in Jimmy. Her doubting him made him doubt himself. And right now he couldn't afford that.

 

Lou freed herself from his embrace and looked at him. She saw the shadow in his eyes and softy prodded him to speak. "What's wrong, Kid?"

"Nothing Lou, come on, let's get some of your dinner. It ain't lethal is it?" He grinned at her, trying to make her forget his sigh. She wasn't fooled by it but she decided to let it slip.

"Well Kid, I don't rightly know. Dawn's saying she's feeling sick just by the smell of it and Buck's gone for his medicine poach again. Just in case Dawn'll go into early labor because of the food. What'ya think?" She smiled at him when he made a face at her.

"You're jokin' ain't ya?"

"Who me? Never!"

Kid just grinned and shook his head. Then he took her hand and started for the house. Lou followed, glancing at him from the side. She had seen a look of hurt in his eyes earlier. She wondered where that came from? Was he hiding something else from her?


	9. Chapter 9

Buck and Kid had both pulled chairs out in front of the Marshal's Office. They had figured it was safer outside in plain view than inside. The town seemed asleep. Buck had a nudging feeling something was about to happen. Everything seemed far too calm around here. The main street of Sweetwater, as he remembered, used to be filled with people at this time of day. Now it was almost empty. People seemed to shy away from the street, carefully walking close to the walls of the houses, nervously glancing around. Few children and women were in sight. Something doom's day-like hovered over the town.

Buck glanced in Kid's direction, he had been in a pensive mood all day. Carefully studying everybody out in the street. Buck didn't feel like striking up a conversation either, he settled himself deeper into the chair, following Kid's example, he surveyed the few walking the street in front of them.

Getting slightly bored, he let his eyes wander up to the sky, trying to interpret the cloud's forms, as if they were some kind of signs. Buck almost fell off his chair when a little girl, maybe five years old, came jumping down the street, headed in their direction. Kid instantly stood up to meet the girl. The little girl's eyes fell on him and she smiled.

"Marshal Kid!" She giggled, running towards them with some papers in her hand. "I've got a telegram. for you!" She curtseyed in front of him, hiding her face behind a lock of her dark hair in a gesture of shyness. Buck witnessed Kid's face soften into a smile and he promptly knelt down besides the little girl. "Why thank you, missy! That's awful kind of you."

The girl almost swirled around herself in prideful joy, giggling helplessly. Buck watched the two in front of him and a broad smile formed on his face. The girl was obviously flirting with the Kid and the Kid was obviously taken. Buck could understand why. Lou might have looked just like that at the same age.

"Did you Pa' give you these to bring me?" Kid asked, taking the documents the girl was handing him.

Buck noticed the softness in his voice and had to wipe his nose to avoid bursting out in a laughter at the changes in Kid's posture.

"No, he just said you've been waitin' for them but then another customer came in so he had to help him. So I decided to help out!" The girl was fidgeting with her dress, looking at the Kid under her fringe.

"I see," Kid nodded solemnly. "I guess your Pa's gonna get worried if you don't hurry to get back, right?"

The girl looked at him with big brown eyes.

"We better get going then, alright?" Kid told his little friend and offered her his hand. The girl watched the town Marshal shyly for a moment before she took it and they started back to the Telegraph Office. Her Pa' already standing on the Telegraph's porch, obviously worried. Buck watched the two, the girl hopping proudly as she walked, telling the Kid about her kitten. Kid watching her with a smile on his lips. Buck couldn't help himself but had to tease the Kid. "I'm tellin' Lou about this!"

Kid curved his eyebrows in Buck's direction. Seeing his friend's broad smile, he just shook his head and turned his attention back to the little girl. Buck just had to laugh at the sight of the town Marshal. _This ain't helping our cause much,_ he thought bemused, _the gang's surely gonna be scared stiff at the sight of this Marshal!_

His smiled died out as the Kid turned around after changing a few word with the girl's father. When Kid looked at the papers he was holding, Buck noticed Kid's posture change back to one of acute alertness. His face hardened as he looked at Buck from afar. Buck rose to meet him, wondering what was up. Kid arrived and motioned him into the Office. Gathering the chairs they carefully seated themselves in the safest corner.

"What's wrong Kid?" Buck asked, trying to read his friends facial expression.

"The men that purchased the abandoned lots are all dead."

He gave Buck the documents. Buck eyed them and soon realized the strangeness of the situation. On every telegram Kid had sent to the new owners, there was a reply that read:

Person deceased _**stop**_ place contact Mr. Shaneyssey **_stop_** attorney at law in Denver **_stop_**

Buck stared at the document for a while. "Kid, what's going on here?"

"It was like I thought, somebody is out after that land. But they're clever, you gotta giv'em that. Buying the land in dead people's names. I'm betting these folks have no heirs."

"But how's that possible, somebody had to sign the deeds."

"And that's the person we're looking for," Kid frowned.

"But how we gonna find him?" Buck sighed, leaning back against the wall, letting the chair swing slightly. "You think the lawyer's gonna be willing to talk?"

"Maybe with a little persuadin' from the Denver law he will?" Kid remarked harshly.

Suddenly Buck turned to him, a worried look on his face. "Kid, I just remembered something I forgot to tell you! The old Miller place has inhabitants. Darn, I meant to ask about that. Wasn't it sold to an already deceased soul too?"

"Yep, to the long gone Mr. Swanstroem"

"Well, either Swanstroem faked his death and is planning on a second life in Sweetwater or somebody else is occupying his house. I saw horses in the corral there yesterday."

Kid was already up on his feet. "How many?"

"I counted five"

They both stared at each other for a moment. Weighing the pro and cons. "What you say, Buck? Willing to take the odds?"

"Well, if it's a ghost, I'll send you in there alone, but if it's what I think, I'd love to surprise them."

Kid chuckled as the went for the door. Before he turned the knob, his smile died out and he turned to Buck with a concerned look on his face. "Lou's gonna kill me for draggin' you out there!"

Buck patted Kid's shoulder. "She probably will kill you anyways, since I intend tellin' her about that girl's scandalous flirting with an obviously flattered local Marshal."

 

 

"Goddammit Teaspoon, stop proving that you're still young and fit!" Jimmy groaned in the saddle. They had barely been off the horses in three days it seemed.

"Why Jimmy, you saddlesore?" Teaspoon asked with curved eyebrows. "All we've been doin' is walking these horses around a little."

Jimmy sighed, he knew Rachel and Teaspoon were in a hurry to get to Sweetwater, but he would have liked being able to sit down when he finally got there.

"Come on Jimmy! It's maybe three more miles, you'll survive." Rachel pointed out from her wagon.

"We ain't that close," Jimmy growled in protest, seeing another day of endless riding before him. "An' I'd like to feel the ground under my feet every once in a while before my legs get all crooked an' I won't be able to walk anymore. An' how about some sleep? Can't remember when I last got a whole night's -."

His two companions laughed out loud interrupting his litany. He frowned as he watched Rachel almost keel over from laughter.

"What?" he irritably lashed out at her.

"Jimmy, you're startin' to sound like Cody!" Rachel chuckled, wiping tears from her eyes. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Son, you've been sleeping in the saddle since this morning," Teaspoon informed him. "The marshaling must have made you slacker off an awful lot in a short time."

Jimmy threw an offended glance in his direction. "That ain't so!" But he had to admit he had slumbered on and off, him having spent the night awake watching out for the two at his side. Not even knowing exactly why he felt he had to.

"The Miller place is just around the corner," Rachel motioned, nodding in the direction ahead. Jimmy was just about to protest again when a gunshot rang out. They all halted their horses abruptly, their eyes fixed in the direction of the sound. Jimmy and Teaspoon slid off their horses without a word, motioning for Rachel to get down. Teaspoon lifted a hand in the air, signing for them to keep quiet. Jimmy, with both guns in his hands, waited for somebody to charge at them as more shots were fired. They listened in surprise as the gunshot was answered by somebody else out there, moving their heads in the new direction. Jimmy stiffened when he noticed a dust cloud approaching them. Cocking his guns, he waited for the encounter. Then he saw what caused the dust cloud and his heart jumped a beat. Katy was running towards them in a wild panic, Buck's horse behind. Jimmy threw himself at the horse as she ran close by him. He managed to take a hold of her reins, managing to stop the scared mare by making her turn around. Buck's horse decided to follow the mare's lead and stopped its wild pace. Teaspoon and Rachel stood there as paralyzed. Rachel's lips were moving, but Jimmy couldn't make out what she said.

Jimmy was frantic. "They're out there, something's wrong, we gotta get to them!"

Jimmy's word finally woke a stunned Teaspoon from his inactivity.   
"Rachel, stay here and take care of the horses!" He was already on his horse and Jimmy threw Katy's reins to Rachel, running towards his palomino.

"Come on Jimmy, we better get goin'!" Teaspoon urged "Let's surprise them on two flanks."

"Right," Jimmy added sarcastically. "Ever considered the fact they may have more flanks than we know of?"

"Just get goin' Jimmy! There's no tellin' what's gonna happen if we wait around here." Teaspoon remarked as he turned his horse and took off.

"There's no tellin' what's already happen'd," Jimmy muttered as he followed in Teaspoon's fast pace.

"Boys, be careful!" Rachel yelled when they stormed off. "Ride safe," she mumbled to herself, wondering if her dreams were about to come true?


	10. Chapter 10

Buck fell off his horse with a yelp of pain when the first shot rang out. Kid threw himself off Katy to get to him. Kid reached Buck just to see his right sleeve turn red.   
"Goddammit" he cursed himself. "I let them surprise us! Buck, lay still! I gotta tie this up!"

Buck squirmed a bit. "It's OK Kid! It's just a grasp."

"The hell it is!" Kid sternly told him, having already torn a piece of his shirt and was putting it around Buck's arm as a second shot found it's way past his head into a tree trunk. Kid gasped for a moment, then pulled his gun and killed the man shooting at them.

"That wasn't no ghost bullet," Buck remarked nervously while holding his head down.

"Lie still! I ain't gonna let you bleed dry!" Kid muttered as he tightened the bandage on Buck's upper arm. "We gotta get you to a doctor," he declared, watching the bandage turn red. "Goddammit I outta have seen this comin'!"

"Kid, don't start on yourself again," Buck growled and ducked for yet another bullet sending wood splints over them, "Let's get ourselves out of this!"

"Stay here!" Kid shouted at him and crawled to get a better angle.

"Kid, damn you!" Buck lashed out when he understood Kid was going to put himself in unnecessary danger. Buck turned around to face the enemy. With his left hand, he managed to clip the wings on a few of the men. There seemed to be five of them. Kid shot at another of them.   
"We need someone alive!"

Buck shook his head, determined that he would rather have him and Kid stay alive than any of the men. He aimed to kill. Suddenly he heard another shot ring out from behind him, his heart almost stopped when he realized they were surrounded. Buck swung himself around to meet the new attackers.

 

Kid was on his way to the one man left standing, his gun fixed at the man. "Hold it!" he yelled at him. "Put your gun down, now, dammit!"   
The man hesitated and made a move to lift his arm and Kid started to squeeze the trigger, hoping the man would understand to give it up in time. Before he got his shot off, a bullet found it's way into the man's chest, immediately sending him over the last frontier. Kid turned around in surprise and found himself pointing his gun at Jimmy.

"Jimmy?" He exhaled heavily, instantly lowering his gun.

"Well Kid, here I am, saving your hide as always," Jimmy smirked, happy to see them both alive. Kid threw him a faint smile.

Buck worked himself up in a standing position. "How did you -?" he started but was interrupted by Teaspoon's: "Well boys, if you ain't a fine gang to find trouble. One can always count on you for that!"

"Teaspoon?" Buck gasped, having to sit down as his head started to spin. "Ain't you supposed to be out fighting a war?"

"Son, let's not get into that," Teaspoon warned him. "Just tell me what's goin' on here?"

Kid just stared at them both, not quite sure how to react. He wondered when Lou had found the time to send for them. Feeling somewhat ashamed of his own mixed feelings, the fact was that they had saved their lives, once again. Lou might just be right, as usual.

"Teaspoon. Buck's hurt," he started but the older man had already found his way to Buck. "That looks kinda bad, son," he said as he knelt down beside a still stunned Buck.

"It's nothin', just a grasp," Buck tried to explain, "Don't even think about puttin' some of your homemade decoctions on it! Last time you did that it almost killed me."

"Son, if I remember right my remedies have saved all your hides from time to time." Teaspoon looked around at the devastation. "And I thought I would be able to rest now since you boys ain't poundin' the trails anymore. An' what do I find? Nothin' ever changes, does it?"

"But how -," Buck continued his questioning. "How did you know where we were at?"

"We didn't," Jimmy spoke casually. "You kinda took all three of us by surprise. Rachel's waiting on us further down the trail," he continued at Buck's and Kid's questioning faces.

"She called for you?" Kid sighed and sat down, still somewhat shaky.

"What?" Jimmy turned to him with raised eyebrows.

"No need to deny it Jimmy, I know she did," Kid replied hanging his head.

"Kid you alright?" Jimmy asked in concern, looking at Teaspoon who was tending to Buck's wound. Hoping to get some explanation to Kid's ramblings. "Buck, you sure he didn't fall off Katy and hit his head?"

"Jimmy, she obviously -," Kid started but then he changed his mind about what he was going to say. "Thanks, for everything," he just stated as he rose and turned around. "I gotta get these men to town," he muttered to himself, watching the men laying around on the ground. He wished they wouldn't have had to kill them all, somebody may have been willing to talk if they stayed alive. He needed to get information from somebody and he knew nobody in town would speak up, even though these men were dead, he had a strong feeling this wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

He lifted his head when he heard a wagon approach. He smiled at Rachel when she stopped the wagon besides him. "Just what I needed, Rachel!"

Rachel stepped down and looked around. "You alright Kid?"

He nodded in affirmation.

"What happened?" she asked. Jerking in surprise as her eyes fell on Buck. "Oh Lord, Buck, yo',re hit!?" She ran to the men sitting on the ground.

"I'm fine Rachel, it's just a grasp." He could feel a burning sensation in his arm, but decided to keep quiet. He knew Kid would blame himself for this mishap. He just hoped the wound would heal soon and give him his shooting ability back. He didn't quite understand what the Kid was talking about. His eyes were fixed on Jimmy, who stared at the Kid with a bewildered look on his face, visibly confused at the Kid's earlier statement.

Buck didn't know what the Kid meant either.

 

When they arrived back in town, the townspeople gathered around the wagon. Kid scanned everybody's face to see if somebody was willing to talk. Each time his eyes met somebody's, they turned and strode off. Kid sighed, realized he had been right, nobody was willing to talk. Then in surprise, he witnessed the new Sweetwater Hotel owner step forwards. He turned to Teaspoon and Hickok to introduce himself while the Kid stood back and watched. _He never bothered to introduce himself to me,_ he thought bitterly. In fact, the day he tried to talk to him, he had suddenly been nowhere to be found. _Another one that doesn't trust me_ , Kid thought with a shrug, an uneasy feeling creeping up on him. But he shook it off, he was probably just jumping to conclusions. The undertaker stepped out of his office and peeked into the wagon.

"Know anybody?" Kid asked him, but the undertaker shook his head, avoiding to meet Kid's scrutinizing eyes. O'Brien turned up too, curiously looking into the wagon. Kid could have sworn his face whitened when he saw the dead men in the wagon.

"Well, Deputy O'Brien, ever seen these men before?" Kid was getting tired of the same old question, specially as it never rendered anything new.

O'Brien glanced nervously in his direction, not quite able to cover the surprised look on his face. "No Marshal, must be from another town. never laid my eyes on any of these before."

 _I bet_ , Kid thought bitterly as he turned and made his way to the Marshal's Office.

He sighed as he reached the Office. Putting his hat on the desk he found that somebody had slipped a piece of paper under his desk. His name was written on the paper and it was laid in a way that made it hard to spot. He glanced around before picking it up, in a vane hope to see who had put it there. As he unfolded the paper he realized it was an original deed, dated yesterday and signed. Hurriedly he put it in his pocket when he heard somebody approach.

Finally something to go on!

 

 

Rachel came sweeping in with Teaspoon and Jimmy on her heels. "We're invited to dinner tomorrow at the grandiose Sweetwater Hotel!" she launched, holding a paper up for everyone to see. "It's an official invitation, signed by the Hotel owner, for the Marshal's wife," she added blinking at the Kid. "He's even invited us to have a nice day in town, the hotel's providing us all with rooms."

Kid nodded but felt there was something not quite right about it all. But he couldn't help but share Rachel's joy. Buck strode in casting a glance at the exhilarated Rachel. Rachel turned to him and took him into her arms hugging him tightly "Oh Buck, it's gonna be a wonderful evening!" Jimmy smiled and explained the matter to a bewildered Buck. Rachel was fussing over Buck, "How's the arm, you gonna be alright?"

"Rachel, that trip to the doctor was unnecessary. I told you it was only a grasp," Buck told her.

His pale appearance told them all something else though. Kid felt a tug at his heart, he had risked his friends life and he had a wife and an unborn child to take care of. He had seen the injury and he knew it wasn't just a grasp. He decided to see to it it didn't happen again. He was lost in his thoughts and jerked when Jimmy tapped his shoulder.   
"Kid, care to enlighten us 'bout what goin' on here?"

"We better get Buck home to rest. I'll tell you what I know on the way back home. Mind you, it ain't much!"

Jimmy went over to the door with the broken glass nobody had remembered to get fixed.  
"Had busy days the two of you it seems," Jimmy remarked pensively, letting his finger follow the edge of what remained of the glass in the window frame.

"Don't look at me, I wasn't even here," Buck answered Jimmy's inquiring look in his directio., "Kid was alone on this one, and he ain't told me much about it either."

"What does Louise think about all this?" Jimmy voice grew concerned as he turned to the Kid.

Kid just calmly stared him down, not uttering a word.

Jimmy raised his eyebrows at his silence, sensing something odd was up with the Kid. Kid just remained leaned up against his desk, his eyes fixed on Jimmy, then he seemed to wake up from some kind of haze and looked away.

"Well, let's get back to the house and she'll probably tell you by herself," he said as he made his way to the door.

Something in Kid's voice startled them all, leaving them paralyzed for a moment. Then Teaspoon composed himself and started out after the Kid "Boys, ya'll heard the Marshal! Let's get goin'."

Rachel and Jimmy's eyes met, they both sensed there was something strange about the Kid.   
"Maybe he's just tired" Rachel mumbled partly to herself. Jimmy squinted his eyes, making a doubtful face; he needed to have a talk with Lou.


	11. Chapter 11

Lou was returning from feeding the chickens when she noticed a wagon and four horses arrive. She stopped in her stride, squinting her eyes at the sun's dazzling rays. The first thought that run trough her head was; _they're bringing him back dead!_ But as she squinted her eyes she saw Kid on Katy's back and her lips formed a trembling smile. Then she realized the woman sitting in the wagon was Rachel. The sink she held fell to the ground as her eyes went over to the raggedy man riding besides the wagon, Teaspoon? She started running towards them, the two in front picked up speed and rode towards her. _Jimmy,_ she thought as she ran, chuckling happily by now. The two men arrived at her side, she almost drew Kid out of his saddle when he stopped besides her.   
"Kid! What a surprise!"

Kid tumbled down from Katy and turned to her. "They arrived this morning."

Lou was already turning to Jimmy, holding out her arms in his direction. "Am I glad to see you still in one piece!"

Jimmy checked over her shoulders while she hugged him, to see Kid's face. A shadow had ran over it at Lou's words. Lou didn't seem to notice. She had taken a hold of both men's coats, holding on, looking at them both in silence, her eyes shining of happiness. Kid looked to the ground, leaning against Katy while they waited for the rest to arrive.

"Jimmy?" she inquired. "I thought Teaspoon was going to join the Army?"

Jimmy let out a short laugh. "He was, the Army told him he was too old! The old man is still grumpy 'bout it, so don't ask."

As Rachel stopped the wagon and leaped out in Lou's direction, she let go of the two young men and threw her arms around Rachel, both swirling around with huge smiles.   
"Rachel, I'm so glad to see you!"

Rachel smiled, fighting the tears of relief that threatened to rise to her eyes. She'd been having nightmares for so long that she had forgotten what a happy Lou looked like.   
"Couldn't leave the boys to suffer your cookin' for too long could I?" she told the girl, hugging her. Lou just laughed at the remark, freeing herself to turn to Teaspoon.

The man looked at the girl, she was still dressed in her Pony Express pants and boots. On top of that, she had put Kid's shirt, that almost reached to her knees.

"Louise, I thought you were plannin' on settling down?"

Lou noticed the raggedy man's smirk and his look on her clothes. A mischievous grin painted her face.  
"I thought you were planning on fighting a war?"

Teaspoon's eyes flew in Jimmy's direction. "Ya'll have to keep bringing that up?"

 

 

Dawn watched them arrive from the porch. She would never let on to anybody, but every day she was actually sick with worry until the men got home in the evening. But knowing her worrying would probably drive Lou crazy, she had become a master in disguising her feelings. Every days she felt like walking on an edge. The calm she experienced when the men rode in usually made her breathe normally again. This time her calm was somewhat troubled though. She noticed Buck's shirt torn and blood on the sleeve. A glance on Kid made her noticed his shirt was torn up too. She stumbled down the stairs, her eyes fixed on Buck while he dismounted. Before he had turned to face her, she touched his bandaged arm and asked; "Buck, what happened?"

Lou turned in their direction to see what was going on, she had noticed nothing in her joy over seeing her family. Her eyes grew wider Buck answered his wife soothingly. "Only a grasp, hon."   
Dawn touched his hand softly inquiring; "How'd it happen?"

Lou's eyes wandered over to the Kid who stood looking at the two, with pain in his eyes. Her eyes fell on his shirt which he tried to hide behind his blue coat. Her heart jumped a beat at the revelation. She hadn't noticed a thing. As Dawn spoke, Lou could see Kid cringe uneasily. He carefully avoided to look her in the eye.

Teaspoon hurried up to the young couple, placing an arm on Dawn's shoulders. "They had a shoot-out over at the Miller's place, but everything's fine now! Don't worry! Buck just has to rest up a bit."

Dawn smiled insecurely at Teaspoon, her lips shivering slightly.

Lou turned her gaze back to Kid, as she walked up to him. As she reached him, she saw him glance at her and speak; "Lou, I know it's my fault, you don't have to remind me."

Lou stopped mid-stride, bewildered at his utterance.  
"Kid, that's not what -."

He interrupted her, turning to Buck. "Buck, I'm gonna have to ask for that badge back."

Buck glared at him. "What'ya talkin' 'bout?"

"I don't wanna argue with you now, you need some rest. You're freed from the deputizing duty." Kid was holding out his hand, waiting for Buck to give him the badge.

Buck stared at him in disbelief. "I'm not givin' you this badge, ya hear!"

"You have to, Buck. I'm still the Marshal and I'm de-deputizing you." Kid tried to make a joke out of it, failing miserably. Buck just shook his head, getting irritated by Kid's persistence.

"Buck, I can't let you go trough with this," Kid tried to plead. "Lou's right, it's too dangerous for us both to be involved in this."

"Kid," Jimmy spoke up "I have a feelin' you're gonna need every man you can get."

Kid turned to him. "Jimmy, if you don't mind?"

Jimmy blew up instantly. "Of course I mind, from what I've heard you talking, this ain't something that's gonna blow over just like that. This one might just turn out to become a real dangerous situation!"

Kid stared him calmly in the eye. "As I said Jimmy, if you don't mind, this is my fight."

The two men sized each other up. Jimmy seeing something in the Kid he'd never seen before. An eerie calm determination with just a hint of threat mixed in it.

Kid was only seeing the man Lou trusted more than himself, knowing he had to prove himself worthy of her love.

Jimmy broke the glaring contest. "Kid," he stated in a toneless voice.

Kid just turned around taking the reins of Katy and Jimmy's palomino. Smiling insecurely, he motioned them to step into the house, "Go inside and rest up a bit. I'll see to the horses."

They all watched him make his way to the barn. An uneasy feeling spreading around them.

Buck shouted out after him. "I'll just have Teaspoon deputize me if you won't, dammit!" Turning to Teaspoon he continued. "Don't even try to deny me this!"

"He didn't mean it, Buck." Rachel tapped the young man's good shoulder.

"The hell he didn't," Buck stated calmly. "He meant every word he said, but I ain't gonna let him have his way."

Teaspoon let his eyes dart between the two of them, Kid vanishing to the barn and Buck's calm glare that followed him. "And what did he mean by it all bein' his fault, Lou?" Teaspoon just had to ask since i felt he was issing out on something big.

Lou was trying hard to make any sense of the whole matter while she watched Kid disappear behind the barn door.

"Oh Teaspoon, I don't know, I really don't know what's going on with the Kid right now." Her eyes followed him and suddenly she felt tears prick behind her eyelids.

Dawn was feeling bad about the whole situation, fearing she had caused it all.

"Let's get inside, you all seem to need something to drink real bad," she urged them, almost pushing Rachel up the stairs. "Come on Buck, you'd better rest today if you're gonna be of any help tomorrow," she pleaded, taking his arm and dragging him up the stairs behind Rachel. _I should have kept my mouth shut!_ she thought while holding the door open for the visitors. Lou and Jimmy didn't move. They stood there still watching the barn. She closed the door to go help Rachel with the glasses she was placing on the table, casting one last glance at the two in the yard.

 

 

"Lou?" Jimmy spoke softly at the girl at his side, struggling to hide her tears. "Why is he so intent on killin' himself?"

"I don't know Jimmy, but goddammit I intend to find out," she lashed out and made her way to the barn.

Lou seemed to be on a private warpath as she stalked towards the barn. Jimmy just sighed and followed, thinking maybe he ought to let them be alone. But he had to find out what was going on with the Kid. He followed Lou with Teaspoon's horse trotting after him.

He watched as Lou stalked up to the Kid, decisively taking hold of his arm. "What do you think you're doing?" she angrily lashed out at him.

"Waterin' the horses?" Kid's answer was a clear diversion.

Jimmy already knew the kind of conversation this would turn out to be. Kid would evade any serious discussion as long as he could. And Lou would insist. Until one or the other was worn down.

"Don't gimme that, Kid, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout?"

"Lou I swear, I'm just -."

"Kid! Why won't you let'em help you with this?"

"It's just carrying water, I think I can manage."

Jimmy watched the anger rise in Lou, even just watching her back, he saw her frustration grow by the second.

"I'm warnin' you Kid!" she growled at him.

By now Jimmy could tell she was furious. He insecurely took a step back, glad it wasn't him standing in front of her. Jimmy prayed that Kid would get serious before he got seriously injured.

Kid cracked a tentative smile. "Lou, there's nothing to it. It's just getting over to the pump and -."

Jimmy sighed inwardly at Kid's stubborn evasion of the subject. Then Jimmy realized something was wrong.

Kid leaned in looking at Lou, tilting his head to get a better look. Then he threw his arms around her. "I'm sorry Lou, I didn't mean to make you cry!"

Jimmy noticed with surprise Lou's shoulders tremble as she hid her face in her hands. When Kid took her into his arms, she buried her face in his coat and Jimmy could hear her sob, all while hitting Kid's upper arm repeatedly with her small fist. Kid just stood there holding her insecurely. Then he noticed Jimmy standing at the door and made a questioning face in his direction. Jimmy raised his shoulders, just as bewildered as Kid was. He had never seen Lou like this. He would have expected her to lash out at the Kid, not to cry helplessly. This outburst of emotions was something new to him, he decided to flee the situation. Safer to let the two of them work this one out alone. He backed out of the barn turning to the corral with Teaspoons horse behind him.

"Maybe Kid had the right notion after all, talking to horses seems so much safer," he mentioned absentmindedly to the horse.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning Jimmy was awakened by Lou's angry voice ringing through the house.

"Get out of here!"

Jimmy perked his ears when he heard Kid trying to say something in his defense, but Lou yelled again. "Go on, get out! Get yourself killed, see if I care!"

Jimmy groaned and turned around, covering his head with the pillow. He felt like he had hardly slept at all. It had became late last night as they sat around the table, talking about old times and reminiscing past adventures. Jimmy smiled to himself, remembering Lou sitting almost in Kid's lap all the time, constantly touching him. And now she seemed ready to kill him. Something strange was happening to the former rider. Maybe this life wasn't suited for her after all?

 

Kid came stumbling down the landing when Dawn stepped out from the other room.

"What now?" she asked the Kid. He was still buttoning his shirt and had a hard time seeing the stairs in the still dark room.

"I don't know Dawn, lately everything I do rubs Lou the wrong way. I just told her to sleep a little longer, since I was going out to tend to the horses. Then she just exploded."

Dawn stifled a giggle and lit the kerosene lamp in the kitchen "Well Kid, don't worry, it'll blow over soon."

"I dunno, don't seem like it."

"Trust me, I know."

"What?" Kid was following Dawn as she made her way to the stove, giggling.   
"Is there something you're not tellin' me?" he inquired while filling the coffeepot with unsteady hands, handing it to Dawn.

Jimmy cleared his throat to let them know he was awake. "Morning all!" he said as he made his way to the table. "Did we sleep at all last night?"

"About four hours," Kid smiled knowing Jimmy probably felt like sleeping a couple of days instead of the the few hours they had managed to squeeze in.

"Uhm," Jimmy felt like it had been four minutes. Leaning his head against the table, he felt like sleeping for a day or two. He jerked as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Today's young ones ain't nothing like what we used to be," Teaspoon declared solemnly. "I remember when I was young we stayed up three days -."

Kid rolled his eyes and fled to the stables to tend to the horses while the rest of the inhabitants slowly gathered in the kitchen.

"Teaspoon, enough!" Rachel was not in the mood to hear another sermon. She had been awakened by Lou's angry screams and her heart had almost stopped as she thought one of her nightmares had come true. Then she realized that what she heard was anger, not fear. Seeing Lou's strange behavior last night, she knew there was something she outta ask her. And she couldn't wait to get alone with the girls and have a chat. As she was making the oatmeal, she saw Lou run outside and her suspicions grew instantly. She'd bet a considerable sum on it if she had a chance.

 

Jimmy watched Lou hurry outside and shouted; "Where ya' goin'?" Both women started to chuckle and bewildered Jimmy decided to leave it be. Obviously they knew something he didn't. Something strange was surely going on, but he was too tired to get into it right now anyhow.

 

Rachel and Dawn finished their chores and sat down to wait until the Kid came back in before they served the breakfast. Rachel wanted to go after Lou but Dawn stopped her, and Rachel realized she was right. Lou just might get mad. Kid came in and Buck cae down, ildly irritated about not having been woken in tie to get to the horses fed.   
Rachel watched the men start their breakfast in silence. Lou came in, looking somewhat ashamed. She threw a glance in Kid's direction, a apologetic look on her face. Kid noticed in surprise that she was already up and smiled at her but Rachel could see him getting nervous.

Rachel hid a smile.

"You boys will be gettin' into town soon wont ya?" she asked them hopefully as Jimmy put down his spoon.

They all turned to look at her.

"Since we will be dining in town tonight, I thought we'd come into town earlier ,the girls and I and get ourselves tidied up."

Kid looked at her. "You sure it's gonna be safe you gettin' into town on your own?"

"Kid, please." She gave him a stern look. But seeing his worried eyes, she couldn't help but give him a pat on the shoulder.   
"Don't worry Kid, I'll take care of them. But seein' as we've got some serious business in town. I don't wanna see either of you before eight o'clock outside the restaurant."

The men shifted uneasily as they knew what was coming next. "In you Sunday outfits and clean!"

Buck made a face at her and Rachel waved a finger at him. "The first one with any objections will have to do all the stable chores for a week!"

Buck smiled at her. "But Rachel, we ain't no Express Riders any more, you can't just -."

"See if I care," she cut him short, grinning at him. "Get out, all of ya!"

As soon as Rachel saw the men leave, she turned to Lou. Lou was washing the dishes, having made Dawn sit down. Rachel smiled and stepped up besides her, taking the towel to start drying the plates.

"Lou, how are ya feeling'?" she finally asked, not knowing how to put the question she had in mind into words that wouldn't make Lou overly emotional. Rachel was not in the mood to be at the receiving end.

"What'ya mean? I'm fine."

Dawn giggled meaningfully while folding the laundry. "Real fine," she nodded. "She's been havin' terrible moodswings and I swear I saw her throw up yesterday morning too, after Kid left. She barely made it out of the house."

Lou threw Dawn a murdering glance. Rachel's and Dawn's eyes met and they both burst out in a loud laughter.

"You mean she doesn't suspect a thing?" Rachel let out between fits of laughter.

Lou was getting mad. "What are you two laughin' about?"

"You should see a doctor, sweetheart," Rachel told the girl, putting her arm around Lou's shoulders.

"Don't you start with that too!" Lou lashed out. "Kid's been buggin' me enough with that. An' I'm tellin' you, this is just some sort of flu! I mean - it comes and goes, I'm fine one minute and then the next -," she stopped as she witnessed the other two keel over with laughter. Dawn having to hold herself around her waist as the paroxysms of laughter were threatening to throw her out of the chair.

"I guess we're really gonna have something to celebrate tonight," Rachel said, wiping her eyes.

"You're gonna celebrate me havin' the flu?" Lou's eyes almost popped out at Rachel's last remark.

"See, we don't think it's the flu," Dawn pointed out, breathless of laughter.

Lou was at a total loss. "What are you talkin' about?"

"Strange mood swings?" Rachel looked Lou straight in the eyes, smiling broadly.

Lou nodded, ashamed over her outbursts, in front of Jimmy and all. She blushed when she thought about yesterday, and the days before. What was going on with her, where had she left her self-control? Rachel interrupted her thoughts.  
"Nauseous feeling in the morning?"

"Sometimes," Lou affirmed cautiously, wondering what was coming next?

"Not quite fitting into our old blouses are ya?" Rachel gave Kid's shirt a meaningful look.

Lou looked at the shirt she had been wearing for some days now. "Kid's just feel better on! What are the two of you trying to tell me?"

"You're pregnant!" Both women cried out in unison before they had to sit down and wipe the tears from their eyes again.

Lou stared dumbfounded at them both, then she realized they were right. "Oh Lord," she said sitting down herself as her legs started to shake.

Rachel rose to place herself next to the somewhat shocked girl and gave her a hug. "I'm so happy for you Lou! And Kid's gonna fly through the roof when he hears it."

 

Lou was shocked, she hadn't expected this to happen so soon. There was all these things that had to be done around the homestead and she would soon be like a house herself, unable to help the Kid if he needed it. And Theresa and Jeremiah! They'd have to build new rooms in the house! A million thoughts ran trough her mind all at once.

Rachel noticed her bewilderment and hugged her closer. "Everything will be fine, Lou, it shouldn't really be such a surprise to you!"

"What will the Kid say 'bout this?" Lou wondered mostly to herself.

"Oh Louise, he's been waiting for this all his life, don't you know that by now?" Rachel reassured her, rocking her gently.

"Hope for God's sake Kid's able to keep a straight face when Lou spills the beans. Chances are he might get shot if he don't," Dawn giggled. "Her mood swings are really keeping this ol' place here intrestin'!"

 

On their way to the town, Rachel and Dawn were telling her everything she should know about pregnancies. That was not what she liked to hear. For every bad news Rachel brought her, Dawn had some encouraging news though. But Rachel could always top it off with something more gruesome yet. Both women were chuckling as they told her what was to come. Dawn's face whitened somewhat when Rachel got into the story of her giving birth. That made Lou's face finally crack into a broad smile and Dawn to moan slightly. Dawn was six moths pregnant so the grand event was just around the corner. Lou couldn't help but tease Dawn somewhat about it. Rachel had some more information about the three months to come. "The three in the middle are usually the easiest ones," Rachel remarked. "The three last ones are not so much feeling sick as feeling like a house."

Lou giggled as she watched Dawn's face fall.

"Ain't like you're gonna be spared, Lou!" Dawn rebutted. Sending Rachel into a helpless laughter. Lou whimpered at the thought.

The whimpers spread among them as they found themselves surrounded by five men pointing their guns at them.


	13. Chapter 13

Lou stared bewildered at the man holding a gun to her head. "Mister, we ain't got nothing valuable," she tried, thinking this must be a robbery.

"Don't worry sweetheart, you're the most valuable thing we could think of right now," the man said with a sarcastic tone.

One of the men had climbed up on the wagon to tie the hands of both Dawn and Rachel. Rachel flinched as the man pulled her arms behind her and tried to harden her muscles to prevent the ropes from being pulled too tight.

"Don't even try it," the man growled gutturally at her. "You outta be glad I don't kill you right now."

"What you want with us?" Dawn asked, glaring at the men. The man holding the gun to Lou's head looked at her with despise. "We don't want anything from you, we just need you to get us what we really want!"

"What are you talkin' about?" Lou was at a total loss at the turn of things. She damned herself for not watching out better, she had already started to relax too much, becoming too safely set in her surroundings and forgotten about the dangers she daily encountered in her Pony Express days. Damn it, she should have known. Kid always had to be right, didn't he? Was she gonna hear about this later, that if, if the survived.

"You outta know sweetheart," said the man right in her ear as he pulled her arms back to tie her up. "We need that husband of yours and you're gonna help us get him!"

"Mister, you must be wrong, I ain't got no husband!" she argued and silently asked the Kid for forgiveness for lying. But she slowly started to realize this was something quite different from what she had initially thought.

"Now we know you're a liar too," the man snapped at her, adding: "Mrs. McCloud," in a spiteful tone.

"What you want with him?" Rachel inquired, fearing this was the beginning of a nightmare come true.

"If bullets can't kill him, what we have in waiting for him surely will," the man laughed. "And y'all be right behind him."

The three women stared at him in disbelief. Lou was suddenly feeling violently ill and Dawn had lost all the color in her face. Rachel watched the two girls and cursed herself for not listening to the Kid.

One of the men took the reins and turned the wagon towards the east.

 

Rachel was working frenetically to get to the Hotel Manager's letter she had in her pocket. She finally did, with Lou's help as the girl obviously read Rachel's thought and tried her best in shielding Rachel from the men's view. She let the letter fall to the ground, hoping no-one would notice, while Lou badmouthed the men. Lou was aggravating her own situation with her behavior, and finally one of the men couldn't take it anymore and hit Lou hard on the cheek.

"Shut up or I'll forget my orders and kill you right now!"

Rachel's gaze pleaded for Lou to shut up, the letter was way behind them already, and nobody had noticed anything. Lou still threw murdering glances at the men but stayed quiet. Her cheek glowing red from the slap she had received.

"They'll find us, they will," Dawn kept telling to herself, her head hanging. Rachel wanted to hug the girl and comfort her. But she had a lump in her throat that prevented her from talking. Lou seemed totally composed, she looked at them and her face was totally calm.

"Don't worry girls," she told them. "These lowlife's don't know what they're up against!"

But Rachel could tell she was worried sick.

 

 

Sweetwater seemed to have gone crazy right around noun, Jimmy thought as he stepped in on yet another fight in the Saloon. Teaspoon had gone to have a few words with the Mayor and everything had seemed normal until an hour ago. Then all hell broke loose; the fighting started in the Saloon. As soon as they had dealt with that, as far as they were able to since some some of the men had ridden out of town in a hurry before they could get their hands on them, somebody let the horses loose from the corral at the Livery Stable. To top it off, somebody tried to put the Marshal's Office on fire while they were out stopping the panicked horses from running down the townsfolk.

Jimmy glanced at the Kid, dragging one of the fighting men out of the Saloon. "What's goin' on here?" he muttered as they brought two of the men to the awaiting jailcell.

"I wish I knew, but something's strange about this," Kid grunted as the man he was holding took hold on the door frame and wouldn't let go. Buck came up from behind and helped the Kid get the struggling man into the cell.

"I'll go check on the girls," he told Kid and Jimmy. "I think they outta be escorted to town."

Kid nodded in acknowledgment. "Would'ya try to talk them into staying home tonight while you're at it?" he pleaded.

Buck snorted. "I'll just be glad if I'm allowed to follow them to town, you heard what they said."

Jimmy shrugged. "I hate to admit this, but I think Kid's right, something weird is going on around here."

"What else is new?" Buck remarked and made his way to the door. "I'll do my best," he added at Kid's helpless face. "I can't promise you more than that."

 

The men dragged their prisoners to a tree in the middle of a rocky valley. They had driven the girls to the rocky part east of Sweetwater. They rode through a gorge in the steep mountain, into the valley that was surrounded by trees on the hillsides. This area was somewhat unfamiliar to Lou, she'd never been here before, just ridden past it. They weren't that far from Sweetwater though and she knew the boys would find them easily. Then it dawned on her that they had told them not to look for them until this evening. Goddammit, it wasn't even noun yet. She wondered what the men's plans were. They had met up with four more men at the gorge. She couldn't recognize any of them, they must all be new around here. But she could tell they had a plan. She wished she knew what ii involved.

She growled angrily as they were dragged behind the sturdy tree. The men proceeded to tie her to it and shoved Dawn and Rachel to the ground. They all glanced at each other, wondering what was coming next. One of the men placed himself in the shade of the tree, the gun resting besides him. If she only could get to the gun, Lou thought as her eyes fell on it. Rachel noticed Lou's glance and shook her head in warning. Lou knew she was right, even if she could get to the gun, there were nine more men around. The odds were too uneven. And if they lured the Kid alone in here, there was no way he would make it. And even if all of them came the odds were still against them. Lou could feel the anger rise, she had to come up with something!

 

 

"Marshal, Marshal, Doc -anybody, help!" The desperate cries reached them as they finally had finished questioning the men about the fight in the Saloon. With meant they'd learned nothing. All seemed real private and none of the men would talk.

"Just as I suspected," Kid sighed as they stood outside the cell, watching the men. The cries from outside made both Kid and Jimmy leap out of the office.

A young woman was running towards them. "They attached the stagecoach and my husband is injured!" The woman cried when they came up close.   
"Hold on Ma'am," Jimmy calmed her. "What happened?" He followed the woman that had turned around and was running back toward the stagecoach that had stopped at the far end of town.   
"They shot at us. The driver was hit in the arm but he managed to escape. My husband was hit too!"

All this in one day? Kid and Jimmy glanced at each other as they were running behind the woman. In the corner of his eyes Kid spotted O'Brien trying to hide in the alley, obviously on his way to the Marshal's office. Kid sensed something was up. Teaspoon stepped out on the street on his way to the stagecoach. Kid ran up to tug at Jimmy's sleeve. "You take care of this, I'll go get the Doc!"

He turned around just to see that it really was O'Brien that sneaked into the Marshal's Office. Kid squinted his eyes; O'Brien was supposed to be at the Livery Stables, keeping watch. Kid stopped a man in his stride. "Please Sir, go get the Doc," he ordered the man, his eyes never leaving the sneaking O'Brien. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed the man nod in affirmation before he took off in the direction of Doc's. Kid made his way to the Marshal's office.

Kid's eyes tightened in anger when he saw O'Brien take his keys to open the cell. "Don't worry boys, the Marshal's occupied with our surprise," he heard O'Brien chuckle as the men in the cell stood up, obviously relieved to see the Deputy. That was all Kid needed to hear. He stepped in, holding his gun steadily pointed at O'Brien.

"I think the surprise's on you Deputy," he stated calmly as O'Brien swung around, loosing a heavy metal platter and a paper he was holding in his left hand. The men in the cell stirred. O'Brien face went from white to red as he stepped forward to try to gather the things he had dropped.

"Hold it right there," Kid warned him, taking the cuffs from the desk. "I'll take care of whatever you've got there." He calmly secured O'Brien to the cell with the handcuffs before picking up the metal plate and the paper the Deputy had lost. As he turned the metal platter he saw the words:

R.I.P MRS. McCLOUD

engraved.

Kid stared disbelievingly at the platter for a moment while feeling a wave of nausea invade his entire body. Suddenly he found it hard to breathe. Finally he drew a deep breath and the rage rose in him. For a moment he had to fight himself from pulling the trigger, sending the man at his side straight to hell. Then he gave in to the feeling, the man deserved to die, there was nothing else to it. Seemingly untouched by the news, he put the platter in his left shirt pocket and turned to the Deputy, with a face that made the three men before him look for cover, taking involuntary steps backwards.

The Deputy whimpering when he noticed the stone cold glare the Marshal was directing at him. Kid slowly lifted his gun to O'Brien's head as the door flung open and Teaspoon stepped in.

With one glance Teaspoon assessed the situation and called out; "Kid, don't!"


	14. Chapter 14

Buck sensed something was wrong long before he reached the tracks of the wagon. Just outside Sweetwater, he had picked up the tracks of four horses going in the direction of their homestead. Being that they didn't expect any visitors, he realized he ought to follow the tracks. Reached the point where the tracks met, he closed his eyes, cursing the world. This shouldn't have happened. His eyes flew to something white on the ground further ahead. Buck stared at the letter Rachel had been waving around only yesterday. He picked it up, at least they were still alive since they had left this trace. Or? He had to push the thought of what might have happened far back in his mind to be able to think rationally. Who had them and why? He pondered for a while if he was to go after them himself or get the rest from town? His heart told him to take off after the girls, but he knew he wouldn't make it alone. His mind and heart raged violently against each other for a moment. If they weren't dead already, he'd probably put them in even greater danger going after them. With a growl and a sick feeling to his stomach, he mounted his horse and rode towards Sweetwater, making his horse run like it never had before.

Wondering if he was going to regret letting his mind rule over his heart?

 

Teaspoon watched as Kid's finger shivered slightly. "Don't do it Kid," he tried again, but the Kid didn't lower his gun. By the look on Deputy O'Brien's face, the man was scared stiff.

"You're gonna hang if you shoot him, Kid!" Teaspoon tried, hoping to get Kid to reflect over his own actions.

Finally Kid turned towards Teaspoon. Teaspoon froze as he looked into the eyes of a man who had lost all hope. Teaspoon was fully aware of what that could do to a man, knew there was very little he could do to stop the Kid from doing what he had in mind. He had walked that thin line himself.

"You really think I'd care, Teaspoon?"

"Kid, before you pull that trigger, please explain what happened?"

"She ain't dead yet," O'Brien finally let out with a whimper.

"Don't you even breathe," Kid warned him in a low voice. He handed the paper he had found, but not bothered to read, to Teaspoon.

Teaspoon read it through, exhaling in relief as he reached the end. "Kid, they're just holding her. It says you gotta get to the Redrock canyon tomorrow morning. Bringing the deeds." Teaspoon stopped to look at the Kid. "What deeds?"

Kid didn't listen to Teaspoon. Instead he smiled grimly at O'Brien, the rage fully visible in his eyes. "I've changed my mind Deputy, I won't shoot you dead. I'll just hurt you in a manner that you wish you were dead instead."

Teaspoon jerked, he believed every word the Kid was saying, so did O'Brien.   
"I'll tell you everything I know," the terrified Deputy offered.

The men stiffened hearing a horse approach in a fast canter. Kid's finger on the trigger tensed and Teaspoon threw him yet another warning glance.

Buck threw himself in through the door, breathless after his hard ride. He had to lean on the desk for a while before he could talk. "They've got the girls!" He barely got the sentence our and his knuckles turned whiter as he clutched his hands tighter around the desk.

Jimmy came in trough the door in time to hear Buck's words. His unbelieving eyes darted from Buck to Teaspoon to finally land on Kid, who looked about to shoot the Deputy.

"What's goin' on?" he asked in a low voice, sensing that the situation in the room was more than precarious. "Who's got the girls? And is he talkin' 'bout our girls?"

Buck nodded. "I found this on the way, and the tracks of four men on horseback stopping the wagon. They went east. Not bothering to cover their tracks." He handed the letter to Teaspoon. "It's the invitation to dinner from the Hotel manager."

"You think this is a sign, Teaspoon?" Jimmy asked looking over Teaspoon's shoulder on the letter.

"I don't know Jimmy. Maybe they just wanted us to know it really was them in the wagon, and that they're still alive," he added for Kid's and Buck's benefit.

Kid turned his head. "Lemme see that!" he ordered Teaspoon, holding out his hand for the letter. O'Brien let out a breath and pulled himself slightly to the side, away from the barrel resting on his head. That only resulted in Kid's gun poking hard into his ribs. O'Brien looked at the men, nobody seemed to care that the Marshal was about to murder him.

Kid read the letter with a frown. Something snapped in him when he saw the signature at the bottom. Still holding the letter, he reached for his pocket, picking up the original deed he had almost forgotten about. Comparing the signatures he immediately knew who was behind this all. His hand cramped around the gun.

"What?" Buck urged, seeing the reaction reading the documents had provoked in the Kid.

"The Hotel Manager's is behind all this. And goddammit, why didn't I see it earlier? Just look at the signatures!"

Teaspoon took the papers out of Kid's hand and realized what he was talking about. "You're right, son. But you couldn't have known!"

Kid just put his gun to O'Brien's neck and growled; "Start talkin'!"

Something in Kid's voice made Jimmy shiver. He threw a glance in Teaspoon's direction. Teaspoon definitely looked worried and Jimmy knew he wasn't alone with his fear. Kid would be able to kill the man, and more than likely would if the Deputy made one wrong move. If he did, they would have to arrest the Kid for murder. That was something Jimmy didn't look forward to.

"Kid," he started. "aybe you'd better let us take care of -."

Kid's cold stare cut him short. Kid looked about to turn his gun on Jimmy if he didn't shut up.

O'Brien flinched nervously and started talking. "I know they're holding her at the Redrock Canyon. You're supposed to be there tomorrow morning. You weren't supposed to find out before late this evening."

Jimmy looked with disgust at the man, now nearly crying. He had a feeling this was a man that would sell everything out, just to save his own skin. But that also meant that he probably was telling the truth right now.

"And?" Jimmy urged as the man grew quiet, fearing Kid would shoot O'Brien without a warning, if he didn't continue promptly enough. Even he was scared by the Kid's current behavior. It was like watching a barrel of gunpowder, knowing the fuse was burning somewhere out of sight. Jimmy was painfully aware it could explode at any second.

"There's a letter waiting for you in the Hotel, warning you to come alone or else they will die, all of them. They know you know too much. They want the original deed and the telegrams you've gotten. They were afraid you were gonna call in the Territorial Marshal on the case. The Hotel manager and the Bank manager is behind all this. Somebody found a huge streak of silver running through the area and the Hotel manager tried to buy all the land. When the owners wouldn't sell, he made the Bank manager his partner and he foreclosed all the loans. Some of the one's that didn't have any loans to foreclose were shot. The rest simply driven away. Then they came up with the idea of buying the land in already dead peoples names, the Bank manager's brother's an attorney in Denver. He promised us all to get real rich as soon as they owned the land, we'd get parts of the silver findings, all of us! They promised us that. When they found out about the original deed finding its way to you, they decided to take your wife as collateral. That's all I know, I swear!"

"You mean that when I hand over the required documents they will let them go?" Kid asked O'Brien in a sarcastic voice.

O'Brien found it safer to spill the rest of the beans. "No, they wanna kill you all off! They both rode out bright and early this morning to finish the business."

Jimmy found it safer to get between the Kid and O'Brien at this point.

"Kid, we know enough, let's go get the girls." Kid still stared at the man in front of him. Jimmy could see he was about to pull the trigger.

"Kid, don't do it!" he warned his friend. "Lou would hate for you to do a thing like that!"

Finally Kid lowered his gun. Jimmy noticed his hands shaking from the effort to hold the anger under control. Jimmy wondered what he would have done in Kid's situation and hoped he'd never find himself having to deal with anything like what the Kid was dealing with right now. He glanced at Buck who was going through the exact same thing. Buck had clinched jaws and his face had become scaringly pale. Jimmy wasn't sure Buck wasn't going to help the Kid murder the man.

But then Buck took a step in Kid's direction, laying his hand on Kid's arm. "Kid we've got proof enough now. Let's call the Territorial Marshall in on this one." His voice was steady and Jimmy could see a flare of determination burn in his eyes.

"It's a little late for that now, don't you think?" Kid's voice was void of emotions, his stare never leaving the Deputy.

"Kid, we'll get them out of there safe, you know we will!" Buck stated calmly. But as Kid turned his eyes to him, Buck could tell Kid saw right trough him. Buck was ready to kill and there was just a fine line holding him back at the moment. "We'll get them Kid!" Buck tried again but knew that even his voice was betraying him at the moment.

Kid didn't respond, he just turned around, avoiding to face any of them and started walking towards the door.

"Lock him up!" Kid said as he made his way to get the horses. As he stepped out, Jimmy could hear him say; "Goddammit, I promised her," to himself.

 

Lou's mood was sinking fast. She had been alert to her surroundings, hoping to find someway out of this situation. To her dismay, she had discovered there must be at least twelve men around. And the boys were only four and Buck was hurt.

She had seen the men unload barrels of gunpowder off a wagon, obviously to rig a trap. Her mood fell even further as she saw the men carry the barrels to the one obvious way into the hellish hole in the ground they found themselves in. If the boys came that way, she knew they would be buried under a cascade of rocks. Closing her eyes for the fear the notion brought with it, she fought the tears that were starting to flow. She would not let the men see her cry, she would not! If they killed the Kid she would at least not give them the pleasure of seeing her pain. She would smile at them as they shot her, which they probably would, once having lured Kid into the trap. She would not show them her fear. Thinking about the fact that she might be pregnant made her head swirl. She would never hold Kid's and her child in her arms, she would never see that day. Fighting hard against the thoughts that made her feel utterly powerless, she opened her eyes and started focusing on the surroundings again.

She had to stay strong, for everybody's sake, but most of all for Kid's sake.


	15. Chapter 15

Jimmy watched his friends with concern as they rode in the direction the Deputy had pointed out to them. Buck's face was hard, he had never seen him like this. He hadn't uttered a word since they left Sweetwater, making his horse run like there was no tomorrow. Turning his eyes to the Kid, he realized he looked like he was going to throw up any minute now. Rage and concern, and probably even guilt, was painted on his face. What Jimmy had witnessed earlier in the Marshal's Office made him worry that the Kid might just do something really stupid this time.

"Hold on boys!" Teaspoon shouted from behind. "Don't go riding right into the place, killing them all!"

Kid reluctantly pulled Katy's reins to make her slow down, but his eyes followed Buck who didn't seem to want to oblige.

"Buck!" Teaspoon's stern voice rang out as he spurred his horse up alongside Buck's, taking the reins and stopping both horses. "Damn you!" he spit out as Buck horse finally stopped. "This ain't no time to play heroes, we gotta come up with a plan."

Buck looked coldly at the older man. "So you've got one?"

Teaspoon shook his head in despair. "Son, first I gotta now what's goin' on there!"

"That's what I intend to find out," Buck growled and tried to turn his horse away from Teaspoon. Teaspoon was still holding the reins in a tight grip. "Buck, didn't you hear? They're waiting for Kid. That means they're bound to have somebody on watch. You go ridin' right into their view and the girls may have to pay for your foolishness!"

Buck finally resigned, sighing in despair he slid down from his horse.

Jimmy threw a quick glance in Kid's direction. He was leaning forward on Katy's neck, his arm over his head as if he was hiding from the world. At first Jimmy thought he was crying. He dismounted to get to his friend, but before he got there, Kid straightened himself in the saddle. "We gotta wait 'til it's dark," he spoke with a low voice.

Buck stared disbelievingly at him, but Teaspoon laid a hand over his shoulders. "He's right, Buck!"

"And I want you to promise me that O'Brien hangs," Kid spoke staring defiantly at Teaspoon.

"Don't worry son, he'll get what he deserves, we'll all see to that." Teaspoon assured him, not liking the tone of Kid's voice.

"You don't understand Teaspoon. If I make it and Lou doesn't -or anyone of the girls don't, I'll kill him myself and with my bare hands. There won't be no trial for him. If I don't, or soething happens, you'll have to see to it he dies. And that Lou's taken care of, you have to promise me that."

"Kid, what the hell are you talkin' about?" Teaspoon couldn't believe this was the Kid talking. The young man had, from the first time Teaspoon had known him, avoided to kill anybody if possible. Teaspoon knew he had always felt bad about the things he had been forced to do occasionally. Kid was the one of the boys always wanting to save the criminals if possible, at least he avoided to get his hands bloodied unjustly. He had always believed strongly in the judicial system. Now Teaspoon felt like facing a cold-blooded murderer.

"Teaspoon, I ain't kiddin' here, I've never wanted to see anybody more dead than I want to see O'Brien dead right now. And I still think I made a mistake not killing him while I had the chance."

All of them held their breath for a while. Even Buck, knowing exactly what the Kid felt, stared at him. Not believing the coldness in his voice. He feared for the moment Kid would get his hands on the men holding the girls. Anything could happen and Buck wasn't so sure Kid would be able to handle the situation in a rational manner. Hell, he wasn't even sure he himself would. But he knew he'd become like one of the men they were chasing if he stooped to killing the man unprovoked and without a trial. But in his heart, he felt that he'd probably be able to do it and pay the consequences for his actions. Watching his friend's face, Buck knew Kid was going to do it if something went wrong. And he wouldn't think twice about it. And that was definitely bad medicine.

Jimmy took a step towards his friend, "Kid don't be thinkin' -."

"I meant every word!" Kid interrupted him, the expression in his eyes stopping Jimmy in his stride.

 

Jimmy stood there watching the Kid, knowing something he'd never seen before was going on with the man he considered his best friend. As Kid's eyes met his, Jimmy knew he would not have liked meeting him as an enemy at any circumstances. Right now he knew it would mean a certain death for anybody that did. The stone cold mixture of hate and despise in Kid's eyes scared him, even though he knew those feelings weren't directed at him. But somehow he couldn't be quite sure.

 

Rachel was working frenetically on getting her hands loose. Not that she knew what she would do once she succeeded, but it gave her something to concentrate on. Lou had become awfully quiet as the day went along. Rachel could still see a dangerous light burning in her eyes, but the girl sat with her back towards the only tree nearby, her hands tied behind it. Rachel knew she was in plain sight for any shooter. That was probably why the men had placed her there to begin with. Dawn sat partly behind her, Rachel could scarcely make her out from behind the tree stem. As she spit on the Hotel manager trying to give her water, Dawn had received a hard slap to her cheek. That was the only time Lou had spoken since they got here. In a low voice she had told the man that hit Dawn that she'd personally see too it he rotted in hell. The tone of Lou's voice had made the man turn to her.

"You won't be so cocky tomorrow morning when that husband of yours is laying under a ton of rocks," he informed her with a cold satanic smile.

Lou said nothing, her eyes spelled the despise she felt, out for the man in front of her.

"And if anything goes wrong with our first plan it'll be a pleasure shooting you right before his eyes, don't you think?" he continued chuckling to himself. "I'll love to watch him see you die right before I kill him."

"The only ones that are dying around here is gonna be you and your lot," Lou stated calmly. "And I think you know that!"

Her calm and composed appearance made the man look at the young woman twice. He couldn't figure out how she could keep so calm, knowing she faced death in the morning. The calm of the woman made him angry, he would have liked to hit her hard, showing her who really had the power in this situation. Something in her glare made him realize he would probably not succeed in his attempt to scare her enough to subdue. Messing the woman up wasn't worth his time right now. He'd get to her later.

Instead of showing her who held the winning cards, he went for a young boy and motioned him to watch them. Rachel noticed the young boy acting nervously. He couldn't be more than maybe sixteen or seventeen. Rachel couldn't for her life figure out how he'd ended up with these men. But she was grateful for the changing of the guards. That gave her the possibility to work on the ropes tied around her wrists. The young man seemed too nervous and distracted to notice. And Lou kept staring him down, which made the young man seem more and more disturbed. Rachel thanked Lou in her mind for the cover she provided. She hoped she'd be able to thank her out loud and in person later.

 

As darkness fell, Lou's eyes filled with tears. She thought about the Kid and wondered if he knew he had only a couple of hours left to live? She hoped he wasn't worrying about her. But in her mind she knew he was going frantic, just like she was. She prayed he wouldn't suffer. Before her eyes she saw him lying under a rock, suffering and a sob left her lips. She didn't even mind about what was going to happen to her as long as Kid wouldn't have to suffer.

"Lou?" Rachel whispered from the dark. The young man had left to gather wood for a fire. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Rachel." Lou tried to make her voice steady but failed. Rachel could hear the pain as Lou continued. "I just wish he won't have to suffer." Dawn moved and moaned. Lou felt sorry she had brought the thing up. There was no need for Dawn and Rachel to be thinking like she did. "I'm so sorry, Dawn, I didn't mean to upset you," she whispered in her direction.

"Nobody, but these stinkin' excuses for men are gonna die, Lou, you said it yourself," Dawn responded harshly "And I hope they do suffer!"

Dawn's stubbornness reminded her of Kid and she felt a tug at her heart, as she saw his face flash before her eyes. Closing her eyes for a moment, she pictured him before her. Remembering his arms around her and his sweet smile and the security having him around gave her. She remembered his body pressed against hers down at the swimming hole and the feeling of him so close. The memories lingering in her mind.   
She whispered; It can't end like this, Kid, promise me it won't end like this, as she opened her eyes and stared into the night. Steeling herself for what might come and what she might lose.

"Lou, it'll be alright," Rachel whispered to her in the dark when the young man came back and started the fire.

The fire cast a flickering light over then and Lou clinched her teeth again at memories being stirred. An owl howled in the night, and Lou felt it was the most lonely cry she'd ever heard.

 

Dawn heart took a leap as she heard the owl. She knew this wasn't a bird, it was Buck. And they obviously wouldn't ride into the trap. She felt a calm spread inside of her as she listened to further sounds of them. She wished she knew their plan and how to help them. But she knew she would have to rely on them and she knew they would do their best. She hoped it would be enough and she intensely wished she could share what she now knew with her friends. She knew Lou was going through hell, even though the girl fought with every fiber in her body to stay calm and composed. But her white face told Dawn more than words ever could.

Dawn turned her face in the owl's direction and waited for further signs.


	16. Chapter 16

Buck spotted the girls by the fire. He found himself digging his fingers into the dirt under him to stop himself from charging down the rocky slope. He let out a call and watched Dawn down by the fire. She understood, she faced his direction and almost smiled.

"Hold on Dawn, I'll be there," he told her in a whisper whispering as his eyes rested on her. Seeing her alive brought a sense of relief that almost numbed him. Reluctantly he returned to his friends with the information he had gathered. He still had to fight himself hard not to throw himself down the steep slope and get to them. But the notion that the men in the valley were too many, stopped him. And he realized that the man up on the crest around the gorge had a fine straight shooting range. Teaspoon had been right, they would have to avoid firing until most of the men were out of the way. But that could also mean that the first shot the men fired might be directed at one of the girls. He realized Lou was in more danger than Dawn, and he felt ashamed for the feeling of relief he experienced at that notion. The same notion would probably send the Kid right over the edge.

Soundlessly he approached the three waiting men, he could feel Kid's eyes pierce him as he sat down. Drawing what he'd seen in the sand, he explained the grim situation. Teaspoon shook his head in desperation, as Buck wrote the number 12 over the figures of men he had drawn. Kid drew a line in four different directions, pointing to each and every one of them. They all stared for a moment on the lines and understood that this was probably the most difficult task they'd ever performed in their lives. Not for their own sake, but for the women being held hostage.

 

Jimmy watched the Kid carefully, he knew his frien wouldn't mind getting killed if anything happened to Lou. Jimmy feared he would step deliberately right in the line of fire if something went wrong. Jimmy decided that he'd see to it that it wouldn't happen. As they rose, Kid extended his hand to Teaspoon in a gesture of good-bye. Teaspoon stared at him and shook his head before he patted the Kid on his back. Buck and Jimmy looked to the ground, they felt shaking hands would be a bad omen. Kid didn't make any gestures after that, he just took aim at the hillside he was going to try to climb as soundlessly as possible. Jimmy and Teaspoon watched as Buck ran off to his designed direction immediately after Kid's departure.

Jimmy watched them for a couple of seconds, realizing he had made a mistake. He would have liked to shake Kid's hand. He hoped Kid knew that.

"Keep an eye on the Kid, will'ya Jimmy?" Teaspoon spoke in a low voice.

Jimmy nodded slowly. "I feel we shouldn't have let Buck alone either, Teaspoon, they're both too involved in this."

"We all are, son. But there's something about the Kid that -." Teaspoon stopped, searching for words.

"I know, I've seen it too."

"Son, lets try to get them all home, alive and well." With a pat on Jimmy's shoulder, Teaspoon was gone. With a last glance at the figure that vanished in the pitch dark night, Jimmy turned to the hillside, a bad feeling in his bones.

 

 

Dawn was intensely watching the crest of the hill, waiting to see a sign of anything moving. When she saw some leaves move in the opposite direction of the wind, she knew it was a sign. She fought hard not to let the men notice her relief. The young man had been accompanied by the Hotel manager. He was sitting by the fire, glancing at the girls every now and then. Dawn cursed him silently as it was his fault she couldn't let the girls know what she knew. She turned her eyes back to the hillside; a man who had been sitting there on watch suddenly disappeared out of sight, not to be seen again. She hid a relieved smile. The boys were doing a fine job. But she was sure they would appreciate the men being disturbed. She turned to the man on watch. "Hey you no-good-excuse-for-a man, I could use some water over here!"

Lou could hear Dawn's breathing change, first she worried the girl was feeling sick. But then she realized Dawn was excited as her breathing became faster and more shallow. Lou took that as a signal that something was about to happen. But she did not dare to survey the surroundings. The man near the fire was eyeing her suspiciously and she kept her glance hard when she met his eyes.

WhenDawn's voice rang out angrily, she jerked. Casting an eye on her friend, she knew Dawn was up to something. Even though she didn't know what, Lou decided she had nothing to lose by helping her.   
"She's right you know, we've been sitting here since noun without anything. If you want us alive 'til they get here you better get that boney head of yours to function and giv'us something to drink!" She muttered something to herself to add to the evident despise in her voice.

The man stood up and eyed them both. "Well you little -." he had started for Dawn but was stopped by Lou's interjection. He stared at them both for a while, not believing his ears. "So you want water do y?! Well hell I ain't gonna give you none."

"If you're saving it to try to put out the fires in the hell you're about to get to, you can just right off forget it. There ain't enough water in the world to do that," Lou snorted at him.

"I've always wondered how it would feel like knowing exactly where one's goin' to end up in the end?" Dawn remarked with a sneer. "I see you're trying to get used to it by watching the fire."

"Try sittin' on it instead and maybe you'll get the hang of it," Lou's voice was filled with malicious pleasure.

The man stared at the two young women; he had never seen or heard anything like this coming from people knowing the were sure to die in a couple of hours. These two weren't praying for their lives, instead they were threatening his. He didn't know exactly how to react to this, other than to stare at the two.

 

Rachel couldn't believe her ears either when she heard the two badmouthing the men. The young one trying to hide behind the older, obviously shaken. Her hands were almost free now and she struggled violently while the girls were keeping the men's attention on themselves. When the ropes finally gave in, she exhaled of relief. At least they had one surprise awaiting the men. Now she only waited for a chance to get her hands on a gun, or a knife, or anything that would seriously hurt their abductors. She started to scan the ground around her for a stone with an edge among the rounded ones she was sitting on. Then she noted a movement in the corner of her eyes. She stiffened, that was not one of the men that belonged to this gang, the swift soundless motions could only be made by one man, Buck! But he was still far away, up on the hillside.

 

Jimmy had to change direction as he arrived to the crest, there was no way down from there, the slope was in plain view for everyone, not a tree in sight. He cursed as he tried to decide where to go next. Notiing the glint of a gun to his left below before a man sank soundlessl down to the ground.

Kid had rendered one of them innocuous. Jimmy decided to try and get to the Kid, it seemed that was the best way to get ahead. And keep Kid under surveillance. Rocks covered the men's view as Kid relentlessly made his way towards the girls badmouthing their captors. Jimmy wondered how they'd found out they were there? But he was happy they had. Having the men watching them riled up and not paying attention sure made their task easier. As soon as he had thought that, he felt his footing give away under him and he fell helplessly down the rocky slope. Sliding and hitting various parts of his body, he prayed this would not start the shooting, not yet! He stifled a moan as his leg got twisted and shot pain through his whole body.

He felt he landed at somebody's feet, at least somebody's feet stopped him. Out of breath and shivering from the pain he heard the man by the fire shout; "What's happening out there?" with an alarmed voice. He saw Kid put his sleeve over his mouth and shout back through the sleeve. "I stumbled".

Jimmy knew the man wouldn't recognize the voice and that would send up red flags.  
"You OK, Shelley?" The hollered suspiciously and took a step forward.

"Fine!" Kid replied, his sleeve still muffling his voice.

 

Lou's heart took a leap, that was Kid, she knew that. She also knew the man in front of her was suspicious, not having recognized the voice.

"Seems your men start crying for nothing," she laughed. "Like babies!"

"Goddamned ugly stinking babies!" Dawn butted in to help the cause. Then both girls started to call his men and and him by all the disparaging words they could find. And they found plenty. The man forgot about the incident in his anger.

 

 

Jimmy tried to rise and immediately sank to his knees, a burning pain shooting up his leg as he put weight on it. _Goddammit, no! Not now!_ he raged to himself. _I had to go falling down that hill, goddammit_! He felt Kid push him down to the ground, giving him a sign to stay down. Jimmy growled and shook his head violently while trying to get up. Kid pinned him to the ground and Jimmy could tell he wasn't about to get into a debate over the issue. Kid pointed to the silver guns at Jimmy's hip, trying to tell him they would need his abilities with the gun soon. But Jimmy wouldn't give in, he kept shaking his head, trying to crawl forward. As he felt Kid's hand on his collar dragging him backwards the first shot rang out, hitting the rocky formation at their side. Both men threw themselves behind it, staring at each other when they reached safety. Without a word Kid rose and threw himself to the next rock as Jimmy fired against the flames of the firing guns in the dark. Hoping to give Kid and the others enough cover to get to the girls. Cursing the fact he couldn't be at his side.


	17. Chapter 17

Teaspoon was making his way down the rocky slope when he heard the shot fired. He took cover behind a rock, not knowing who was shooting at whom. His eyes searched for the girls behind the fire, but he couldn't see them yet. As a bullet found it's way to the rock he was hiding behind, he knew they had been spotted. He sighed heavily, this was not a good sign. A bullet slit his shirt open, missing him neatly. He didn't even flinch as he sent the man shooting at him over the border to another existence. He damned the whole situation, especially that the girls were still in the hands of the men. And he knew that this kind of men wouldn't hesitate to shoot them in a situation like this. But he couldn't let that bother him right now, he had to advance towards the girls. Whatever price he had to pay.

 

Kid didn't think much as he made his way toward the fire. Stumbling over stones that sent him to the ground he cursed himself and was up in a split second. Not even feeling the pain when the rocks scratched his knees and palms. He noticed Jimmy was disarming one man after another in a very efficient way. As he ran over the rocky surface, he noted in horror that the man had freed Lou only to hold her as a shield against the gunfire. He clinched his teeth as he saw the man lift his gun and hold it to Lou's head.

The young man partly hidden behind Lou and the man, pointing his gun at Dawn. He had to stop and reassess the situation. He had hoped Jimmy could shot the man from where he was at, but now he realized the angle was all wrong. If Jimmy shot the man he would have to kill both of them instantly, leaving one man alive would be signing either Lou's or Dawn's death certificate. And he knew that as good as Jimmy was with the gun, there was no way for him to do that at that distance and that angle.

Kid felt a sickening feeling at the thought that he had to do it himself, and from his point of view there was maybe one inch separating Lou from death or freedom. The hill rose in front of him, stopping him from getting closer and from getting to the girls from behind. His only chance was to get both men with one single shot. And in order to do so he had to risk Lou's life. He felt like throwing up as he aimed his gun at the man's throat, calculating that a bullet would slit it open and continue into the younger mans shoulder. Suddenly he realized the gunshots had stopped. Lifting his eyes to search for Buck, he saw no signs of him. Kid realized that Buck was probably still at the far end of the hillside, too far to be any real danger for the men. And due to his right arm being wounded, Kid knew he'd have trouble aiming anyway.

The man holding Lou started hollering. "Next one to shoot will cause this woman's untimely death!"

Kid saw Lou wrestle the man. _Lou, please keep still,_ he pleaded in his mind, momentarily losing the aim on the man. Hoping Jimmy wouldn't try anything from where he was at, Kid held his breath and lowered his gun towards the precise spot on the man's throat he had to hit in order to hit both men hard enough to kill the Hotel owner and disarm the young man behind him. Heart pounding, he tensed every muscle in his body, waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger. Praying he wouldn't live to regret this for the rest of his life. Hoping that somebody would send him after Lou if his bullet killed her.

 

Jimmy froze as he realized what Kid was trying to do. _No!_ He whimpered to himself. _That's impossible, you're gonna kill them all!_ Teaspoon was right, Kid had lost his mind. Jimmy started crawling from behind the rock, the pain shooting out in his entire body. His leg hurt like hell, but he clinched his teeth and crawled forward, his head starting to pound. He realized that the rhythmical pounding in his head was his own heartbeats echoing in his temples. _I won't be any use after all_ , he thought as his vision started to blur from the strain. He stared at the Kid. "NO! Don't do it, damn you Kid, don't even try!" he yelled. But he sensed Kid's determination. The man had seen the Kid and Jimmy could see him glare at the Kid with unbelieving eyes. Kid had his gun cocked and pointing right at the man. Jimmy closed his eyes waiting for the shot, hoping it would hit the one Kid intended. If it hit Lou, he'd probably shoot Kid himself. Cold shivers ran down his spine when he realized that Kid probably expected him to do just that.

 

Lou desperately tried to get loose. Her hands still tied together made fighting the man seem useless. When he put the gun right to her head, she finally forced herself to calm down. She was being held in front of the man, and awaited the killing bullet any second. Then she felt the man jerk and look into the night. Lou raised her head slightly and followed his gaze and saw the glimmer of a gun directed at them both.

"Get out from the dark, Marshal, or your wife'll have right in her head!" the man hollered, laughing insanely. Lou sensed his hand holding the gun shiver. Jimmy shouted "No, don't do it!" from the dark. She prayed Kid wouldn't listen. She closed her eyes, knowing this might be her last instance on earth if Kid didn't shoot first.   
"Kid, do it," she whispered softly and let her head sink further, the barrel of the man's gun glimmering in the corner of her eye.

Kid felt literally sick. His whole body tensedwhile he waited for the men to get in that perfect line again. He prayed to every God he had ever heard of as he waited for the men to settle. He knew that if he hit Lou he'd just step out in full view and thank the man that took his life. But the feeling he might be the one to end Lou's made him feel as if he was going insane. He was close enough to notice how agitated the man seemed, he would probably pull the trigger any second now. He must have sensed his time running out. Kid wondered if he should simply lower his gun and step in front of the man as he asked. But something in the Hotel manager's eyes told him it would only end in two killings, and Lou would certainly not be spared. Probably no-one would, since Teaspoon and Buck were still too far away and Jimmy badly hurt. Kid held his breath as he had them both in perfect aim again.

As he squeezed the trigger, he fought the will to close his eyes in terror.

 

Lou felt the bullet over her head as it hit the man, sending him away from her with blood spluttering all over her. The man turned and watched her with unbelieving eyes as he fell, his hands trembling as he tried to shoot but failed. Then he fell over slowly, dead before he hit the ground. The blood that pumped out of his severed arterial vein, slowed to a stream as his heartbeats stopped. The young man partl shielded behind him had fallen too, a red stain spreading over his shoulder. Lou was in shock, it had all happened so fast. Remembering Kid's face as he aimed his gun at the man holding her, she had prayed he'd shoot and not listen to the doubts she could read on his face. Now that it was all over she couldn't take her eyes away from the dead man at her feet. Still wondering if she was dreaming? Then she felt Kid's arms around her, hugging her and loosening the ropes tied around her wrists at the same time. Talking to her in a soothing voice. When she got loose, she threw her arms around him, getting as close to him as she could. Feeling his fast heartbeat, she felt she finally could exhale.

Kid lifted her into his lap and smiled at her. "It's gonna be fine sweetheart, I promise." She could sense his body's tension and wondered what he had been going through before he pulled the trigger. She wouldn't ever have wished anybody to be in that situation. She wanted to thank him but she somehow knew he understood and the gratitude she felt could never be expressed in words. And she was afraid that her voice wouldn't hold if she tried to speak.

"I just gotta go help Rachel and Dawn get loose first! Hold on Lou! I'll be back." He seated her up against the tree, in a way that she couldn't see the men. With one last smile, he kissed her lips gently before he took off in Dawn's direction. She hid her face in her hands, crying helplessly of relief.

 

Rachel was already up on her feet, making her way towards Dawn, to let the girl loose. "ou alright, Dawn?" The young woamn in front of her nodded and started to struggle against the ropes, her eyes searching the hillside for Buck. As Rachel knelt down besides her, she saw the young man on the ground move, the gun still in his hand.

"No!" she screamed making Kid look at her with surprise. She immediately realized her mistake in removing Kid's attention from the boy on the ground. Helplessly she witnessed the scene unfold before her eyes. Kid making his way to the boy, gun ready but unaware that the boy too had a gun in his hand. Rachel had no time to shout another warning before the young man turned around and pulled the trigger twice. Kid pulled his trigger instinctively, killing the boy instantly, as the bullets hit Kid in the chest at a close range. Rachel saw his eyes widen in surprise as the impact sent him flying backwards, blood spreading on his shirt. Rachel's shriek of anguish never left her mouth. Her thoughts went to Lou as she saw Kid hit the rocky ground hard. She dimly noticed Buck arriving and throwing his arms around Dawn before she lunged herself in Lou's direction.

 

Lou witnessed the scene with a mixture of despair and disbelief. A look on her face that Rachel hadn't seen on anybody before. Rachel's heart almost stopped at the sight of Lou's naked desperation. She was at the girl's side in one leap, holding her in her lap while she bolted to get to the Kid.

"Don't look honey," Rachel said, trying to move Lou's stare away from Kid. Rachel knew he must have been dead before he even hit the ground. She didn't want Lou's last visual memory of her husband to be him laying on the rocky ground, with two holes in his heart. The heart that had been so brave.

"Don't look honey, remember him as he was a minute ago," her voice broke as she started crying into Lou's hair. Holding the girl tightly wrapped in her arms. Preventing her from getting to her husband. Rachel was scared how Lou would react to actually seeing her husband dead on the ground. She cried over the young life spilled and the immense pain Lou was going through in her arms. She knew it all too well, remembering her own husband's death as if it happened yesterday.

"Don't look now honey, he was here just a minute ago, holding you. Remember him like that, Lou, always remember him like that!"

Lou finally woke from her torpor. She yelled with her lungs whole capacity; "NO Kid, NO! You promised! Rachel, he promised!"

She still fought violently against Rachel's hold, but her screams prevented her from breathing, making her feel weak and powerless.

 

Lou's screams turned into wordless wails, like a wounded animal's. Rachel rocked the girl in her lap, wetting Lou's hair with her freely flowing tears. The wails were like an echo from her nightmares. But Rachel knew she'd never wake up from this one.


	18. Chapter 18

Jimmy's pain disappeared when he heard Kid talk to Lou, telling her everything was gonna be alright. He smiled to himself as he crawled further out from behind the rock, not minding the pain. He couldn't believe Kid had pulled it off. The sight that encountered him made him breathless.

When he finally reached a spot where he had full vision of the happenings, he heard three shots fired rapidly one after another. And then Kid went flying backwards, landing hard on the ground. He witnessed all this, not quite understanding what happened right before his eyes. He watched the scene in front of him trying to make a sense of it. The darkness making him unsure if he could actually trust his own eyes. He waited for Kid to get up, he wanted Kid to get up. But his friend lay still.

"Dammit Kid. Get up!" He growled while he tried to get up on his own feet. A sharp pain shooting through him made him sink back to the ground. Dimly he heard Rachel repeat; "Don't look honey, don't look!"

He perked his ears, trying to make out who she was talking to. The rest of her words made the truth hit him painfully, like a hard blow to his guts. Then he heard Lou's screams fill the night. Her voice was like knifes digging into his heart, and he finally understood what had happened. His mind was still trying to deny what he had seen, but his body reacted. All the pain and the desperation made his guts convulse violently. Whimpering, he rested his head against the rocky ground. Sobs jerking his body. His mind repeated the word NO over and over again, until it blocked Lou's screams out of his mind.

 

Buck saw nothing but Dawn sitting by the fire. He had to get to her and he blocked everything else out in his pursuit. When he finally reached her, he swallowed hard to keep back the tears of relief, realizing she was alive and breathing.

Holding her close, he rocked her in his lap, sobbing heart-breakingly. Their eyes met and they both knew they were gonna be fine. Dawn eyes were filling with tears.  
"Buck," she whispered. "He's dead!"   
She looked in the Kid's direction and Buck slowly lifted his eyes and followed her gaze.

Instinctively he pulled her closer to himself when he saw Kid on the ground. A moan left his throat as he understood what had happened. Dawn turned her eyes back in his direction, the pain evident in them.

Lou screamed her pain and Buck closed his eyes in exasperation, wondering how she'd ever get over this? How anyone of them would ever get over this? He cursed himself for not shaking Kid's hand and for not promising him the things he had asked for. He wished Kid had left this world knowing Lou would be taken care of and that his last wishes had been heard. He wished he had crossed the border without fear.

Dawn tightened her grip on him as they both sat and listened to Lou's desperation till she was out of air and all they could hear was her soul's wounded wails and finally only silence.

Dawn cried quietly into his shoulder, her nails digging into his shirt. The minutes went by and all they could do was sit there, holding each other, both paralyzed by the events.

Time seemed endless.

Then Buck rose slowly, helping Dawn to get to her feet. Clasping hands they walked towards their friend, lying lifeless on the rocky ground.

 

To Lou it seemed like the world had ceased to exist. She couldn't believe what she just had witnessed, her hands violently clawing at the rocks in front of her, making her knuckles bleed. She felt her body convulse and Rachel trying to hold her steady, while crying helplessly. Lou felt her body shake and her muscles contract while she saw the scene endlessly repeating before her eyes. Over and over again she witnessed Kid falling to the ground, spots of blood forming on his chest, while the shots kept ringing in her head. She screamed to block the sounds out. She screamed till the lack of air started to blacken her mind. Breathlessly she sobbed in Rachel's lap, fighting for air between the sobs, while she fought the pictures before her eyes. Pictures she knew would forever be imprinted in her mind and never leave her in peace.

 

Kid felt the impact of the two bullets hit the metal plate in his left shirt pocket. The impact making him fly backwards as the bullets ricocheted against the thick metal, sending the bullets up his chest, leaving burning bloody trails. The metal broke his ribs and left him breathless before he hit the ground. The sound from the gunshots had deafened him, all he heard was the shots ringing in his ears. The third impact made him lose consciousness as the rocky ground forced the air out of his damaged chest.

He never heard Lou scream out in pain.

 

When he came to everything was quiet. Pain started to invade his body, he felt the taste of blood in his mouth. He tried to get up, but the pain in his ribs made his breath falter momentarily. He took another breath, immediately feeling the increased pain of the broken ribs.

He silently cursed his situation. When he finally opened his eyes, he found Buck standing over him, with a look of utter sorrow on his face. He lifted his hand in a sign that he was alright.

This made Buck take an involuntary step backwards and his eyes to widen. Dawn took cover behind Buck, peering at him from behind her husband. Dawn's eyes were swollen and red, Kid realized she had been crying. He wanted to ask her if she was okay, but then he heard Rachel crying desperately. This made him force himself up from his inert position. When he finally got up in a sitting position, he found Buck and Dawn staring at him with fearful surprise in their eyes. The look on their faces told him something bad had happened. Instantly he turned to where he had left Lou.

Rachel was rocking Lou in her lap, crying blindly into her hair. Kid's heart jumped a beat as he crawled towards them, not having the force to stand up yet. He was sure one of the ricocheting bullets had hit Lou. He just knew he had to be punished for the way he had put her life in danger. If one of the bullets aimed at him had killed her, it would be just as if he had pulled the trigger himself!

Breathlessly he pushed Rachel away from Lou, feeling her body convulse and tremble, he feared she was dying in his lap. "Lou! God No!" His mind raced as he clasped on to her. "Don't let this happen!" He wanted to scream but the pain in his chest prevented him. Every breath sent a beam of pain trough his body. His mind went blank, he just sat holding his wife in his lap, rocking her gently. The only feeling he had was denial, this wasn't really happening.

Repeating her name over and over again, he took her face and rested it against his chest, hoping he somehow could stop what was happening. Hoping his heartbeat would somehow keep her heart beating too and that his voice calling out her name would keep her around.   
"Don't let her die God, I swear I'll do anything!" he prayed as he rocked Lou in his lap, sensing the tremors easing off. He hugged her as close as he could, fearing it was the moment life left her body.

 

 

Lou felt somebody lift her from Rachel's lap into another. In a haze she heard Kid talking. _I always knew if Kid died on me I'd go crazy._ she thought as she felt being hugged close by the man she loved so intensely. _This is too cruel, I can even feel him still!_ She could even smell the sickening smell of blood. His blood. The sensation of Kid's arms around her was too uncanny, she could hear him call her name and it was all too real. But still she was afraid he'd go away if she opened her eyes. She felt her body automatically relax in Kid's hold. Still holding her eyes securely closed not to risk losing the feeling of safety the familiar arms provided, she closed her hand around Kid's arm, tentatively. Still afraid this moment was a dream, she held on to it, waiting for him to disappear at any given moment.   
As he didn't, she finally dared to open her eyes, lifting her head to see if he really was there. She could feel him flinch as their eyes met. She smiled at him, lips trembling.

"Lou?" his voice broke as he spoke. "I thought -. Are you -," he wasn't able to speak anymore as he clinched her even tighter into his lap. "I'm so sorry Lou, I'm so sorry!"

"Kid?"

"Lou, I'm here, don't worry! Everything's gonna be just fine, I promise," he spoke into her hair soothingly while tears ran over her face and sobs jerked her body.

She finally loosened herself from his grip, having to take a closer look at him to sort out the myriad of feelings running through her. Wiping the tears from her face, she smiled at him, a trembling smile that sent tears of relief freely flowing down her cheeks again. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth and he breathed with labor but his eyes were burning with love as they bore into hers. Swallowing hard she stared at the bloody stains on his chest, the metal badge gone and two holes burned in his pocket. She followed the bloody marks going from his heart over his shoulder. She shuddered at the sight.

Rachel knelt besides them. Lou saw the lost expression on her face. Lou knew Rachel was posing herself the same questions Lou was. Hesitantly Rachel reached out to touch Kid's arm, afraid he would disappear at her touch.

"Kid?" she exhaled. She stared at him, not believing her eyes. She had seen the two bullets hit him in the heart. How could this be?

"You alright, Rachel?" Kid's face was somewhat bewildered at Rachel strange behavior.

Lou finally gathered her strength and put a hand on Kid's chest, securing herself that his heart really was beating, finally settling her raging mind.

He groaned and recoiled slightly as her hand reached the metal plate in his pocket. He saw the question in her eyes and tried to lift his arm to reach into the pocket. Lou realized the pain it caused him so she stopped him. Carefully opening the button she pulled the metal plate out, looking bewildered at it. The plate was bent and scorched, something had been engraved on it but the remains were illegible. Her hand started to shiver as she held the metal that had been the only barrier between life and death. A wave of nausea hit her.

 

 

Buck and Dawn had been standing silently at their side, scared to even breathe at the sight. Buck gathered all his strength to utter the question they all had in mind:

"Ain't you dead?"

Kid scrunched his brow at the question. Then he realized what Buck meant when he looked down on his shirt on which everybody's eyes rested. Kid hadn't even realized what they must have been thinking before now.

"Lou saved my life," he smiled at them.

 

Teaspoon found a shivering Jimmy on the ground. His eyes directed at the group around the tree, he almost stumbled over him.   
"Son?" he asked as he knelt besides the young man. "How ar'ya?" Stunned he realized Jimmy was crying quietly, his shoulders shaking.

"Jimmy?" Teaspoon urged with fear in his voice. "Are you kay? What happened?"

"He's dead!" Jimmy's voice was muffled but Teaspoon could hear the immense pain it expressed. Teaspoon looked around to see who he was talking about. The five at the tree looked very much alive to him, torn and hurt, yes. But still alive.

"Who you talkin' 'bout, son?"

"Kid, dammit, Kid's dead!" Jimmy's shoulders started to shake again. Teaspoon could barely make out the next sentence Jimmy spoke. "An' I didn't even bother to shake his hand! Why do they all go an' die on me?"

Teaspoon looked at the young man at the tree once again. He was holding his tiny wife in his arms. Lou sitting in his lap looking at him. Rachel touching his arm. Then he distinctly heard Kid ask Rachel if she was alright.

"Well, Jimmy, I ain't no expert in the field but I would definitely declare the Kid alive. I might be old and over the hill but I think you can trust me on this one. I never heard the dead speak before."

Jimmy finally lifted his head from the ground, still afraid to direct his gaze in the direction ahead he had avoided since Lou's wails had been silenced. In the scarce light from the fire, Jimmy could see Kid smile and heard him say "Lou saved my life."

"I'll be damned," was all Jimmy had to say.


	19. Chapter 19

As Teaspoon and Buck put a moaning Jimmy down by the fire, Kid felt a sting of bad conscience.   
"Jimmy," he let out. "You okay?"

Without waiting for Jimmy's answer he turned to Teaspoon. "We gotta get him to a doctor, I think his leg's broken!"

"Just a real bad sprain," Buck calmed him. "He'll live!"

"Kid?" Jimmy interrupted them both. "How the hell did you pull all this off?"

"All this what?"

"You shot both of the men with one bullet!" Jimmy pointed out.

Kid shrugged at the memory. That was one thing he'd never try again. "Dumb luck!" he told Jimmy, trying to make it all a joke. But Jimmy could tell how shaken he still was.

"An' how about gettin' shot twice at close range?"

"That was just dumb," Kid explained, hugging Lou closer.

"I mean, how'd - why - how come you ain't dead?" Jimmy finally spat out.

Buck handed the metal plate to Jimmy. "He had this in his pocket."

Jimmy looked at the scorched and buckled plate. "What is this?" he finally asked, unable to figure out what he was holding in his hand.

"A plate the Hotel manager had made for Lou's grave," Kid explained with a thick voice.

"Luck, huh?" Jimmy pondered quietly, raising his eyes to meet the Kid's.

"Uh huh," Kid confirmed.

"God, am I glad we never came to anything else but fist fights, with your luck I'd probably would have shot myself in the foot," Jimmy mumbled to himself, looking at the plate in his hand.

"Or just plain fallen on your face," Kid grinned at him.

"You just had to remind me, didn't ya?"

 

They reached Sweetwater at the knack of dawn. As they rode in on the empty streets of the still sleeping town, they felt they could finally exhale in relief. Some of the men had escaped and Buck had feared they'd take revenge on either their homestead or the town. Buck rode out to the old way station, only to catch up with them just outside of town. Calming them with the message that everything was fine at their home. That had made Teaspoon start to wonder if the men had taken revenge on the town. A notion that didn't falter to spread among them all as they drove the wagon slowly over the rocky trail. Jimmy was lying in the wagon, cursing every time they hit a rock. Lou and Dawn tried to keep him as comfortable as possible. You couldn't say Jimmy acted very gratefully. But Lou just smiled at him, she knew he was hiding the hurt under that curt behavior. She silenced him softly as he almost yelled out as the wagon wheel hit the billionth rock or hole, making them all jump. She threw a quick glance at the Kid, sitting at the far end of the wagon. She saw him pale considerably but not a sound escaped him. He had been acting strange since they started their long journey home. Even as they searched the Red Rock for survivors, she'd noticed him drift off. Become evasive and distant. She had asked him if he was okay and he had acted as if he didn't notice her concern. Dawn had seen it too, casting worried eyes in their direction. He wouldn't let her help him. As they went for the horses the men had left behind, he almost fell when he tried to get off the wagon. But when she reached out a hand to help him he just looked right past her. He'd probably have walked home behind the wagon if Teaspoon and Dawn hadn't forced him up on the wagon. He'd probably be better off on Katy, Lou thought as yet another bump send them jumping and Jimmy into another cursing session. Dawn knelt down beside him and wiped his brow with a damp cloth.

"I ain't hot Dawn!" He lashed out, grimacing of pain. "I'm bein' pound to death by this woman's drivin'," he groaned loudly enough for Rachel to hear.

"Jimmy! I know you're hurt, but there's no way anybody could drive this wagon steadier than I am in these circumstances," she told him sternly.

Jimmy knew he was being unfair. "I'm so sorry Rachel, it's just -."

"Your way of lettin' out steam?" Rachel turned to smile at him. "I know, Jimmy don't worry about it."

Lou smiled at him, giving him a slap on his good leg. "You'll be fine Jimmy, just hold on for a couple of more miles."

Jimmy moaned. His eyes fell on the Kid sitting at the far end, not uttering a word. If he was hurting, Kid must be hurting too. He knew exactly what broken ribs felt like. Riding in a bumpy wagon would probably feel like somebody poked knifes into your side. He wondered at Kid's silence.   
"Lou, you checked on Kid?"

Lou nodded and her eyes went back to her husband, sitting still, audibly heaving for airwhens the bumps rattled the wagon. "How come he so - goddammit Rachel!" The wagon's left side was lifted approximately five feet in Jimmy's estimation. Jimmy just let the curse slip out, immediately wanting to bite his own tongue off. "Sorry Rachel - quiet?" He didn't feel like explaining himself any further, hoping Lou would understand.

 

Kid was embracing himself to keep his left side steady. Lou reached out to him, tentatively, to see if there was something she could do for him. His head was hanging so she had to almost bend herself double to get a look at his eyes.   
"Kid?" She felt no reaction from him. And when she saw his eyes she almost jumped. There seemed to be a black fire burning in them, like the one she had seen the day they had learned about the men trying to drive Buck and Dawn off the land. Lou knew he had drawn all the pain into himself again, refusing to let anybody see it or help him carry it. She sighed and she herself by his side. Silently holding on to him while letting him be. Knowing Kid, she knew he had to come out of this by himself. She'd only let him know she was right there if he needed her. She took his clammy hand into hers, squeezing it lightly. He answered by entwining his fingers with hers, and Lou could tell from the mere grip he was fighting both the pain those inner demons again.

 

Kid was trying to push away the pictures that kept popping up before his eyes. Pictures of what could have happened. Now that it was all over, he couldn't believe what he had made Lou go through. He had tried to show her she could trust him and had accomplished exactly the opposite. He'd put her life on the line in a way that was unforgivable. He cursed his devotion to always take action. He cursed the fact that he didn't leave to fight the war and left Lou behind in the safety of Rock Creek. He tried to knit the pictures of what had happened into a logical sequence, to drive away the pictures of Lou's face as she looked at him while he was pointing a gun at her. The picture of her lying trembling in Rachel's lap. Her face as she stared at the dying man at her feet. Her face as she looked at him when he untied her. And the pictures his mind kept making up. He went over what had happened over and over again. Only to turn back to Lou's face and the eyes that burned holes in his soul as he looked into them. When she took his hand he wanted to throw himself at her feet, begging for forgiveness for all that he'd ever made her go trough. But he just sat there, wondering how she'd ever be able to trust him again. How he would ever be able to trust himself again?

His decision had almost killed Lou, on multiple occasions.

"Kid, we're at the Doc's!" Lou had to shake him before he lifted his eyes and looked at her. "Kid. Come on I'll help you down," she continued in a calmer fashion, seeing that the demons were still haunting his soul. Without a word he stretched out his legs, turned and slid down from the wagon. Only to have to take hold of the edge as his legs buckled.

"Dammit Kid!" Lou was getting angry with him. Enough was enough! He had been brooding since they left the canyon, it was time to get out of it by now. He must have sensed her irritation since he threw a glance in her direction.   
"You go, I'll hold the horses!"

He was barely standing, even with a firm hold on the wagon.

Lou wondered if she'd have to kick him into Doc's office. Angrily she threw herself down from the wagon, walking up to him taking a tight hold of his coat. She made some guttural warning sounds in his direction that made both Buck and Dawn look at her.

"Lou!" Dawn warned, afraid she'd lash out at him. Dawn sensed that Kid was trying to make sense of what had happened. And she understood that he needed some time to do so. She knew Buck was exactly the same. Couldn't be rushed.

Lou relaxed at Dawn's warning. Her friend was right. There was no way to force Kid out of this mood. She just had to see to it Doc could tend to his physical wounds and let time heal the rest. But his silence scared her. She wished he'd scream, cry or do anything other than withdraw out of her reach.

They stood back as Buck and Teaspoon helped Jimmy to the Doc's. The Mayor came up wanting to talk to the Kid. Asking what had happened. Lou had to answer in Kid's place. Telling the Mayor that it was over. Kid said nothing, holding on to the wagon as if it was his only support in life. Teaspoon came out of the office, making his way towards them. The Mayor turned to shake his hand instead.   
"Damned fine job you and these young men did!"

Teaspoon's face split up into a wide grin. "Did you ever doubt my boys?" he gleefully asked the Mayor. "As long as they're in charge, you'll be safe!"

"Ain't doin' it no more," Kid let out. Lou almost jumped in surprise.

"What you talkin' about ,son?" Teaspoon turned to him. "Sure he'll stay on," he continued to the Mayor. "He's just a bit under the weather, right now!"

"No!" Kid stated with determination. "I promised and I have to try to keep that promise."

"Kid? I ain't getting it." Teaspoon tried again.

Kid finally turned his eyes to penetrate Teaspoon's. "I'm sorry if I let you down. But there's a promise I gotta keep and it's hard enough without -." he let his voice trail off. Both Teaspoon and the Mayor waited for a continuation but Lou knew there was none coming.

"I have to get him to the Doc's," she excused them both, pushing Kid to the door. He sank down on the chair inside the door.

"Come on Kid," Lou begged, near tears now at her husbands unwillingness to cooperate.

Dawn walked to her side laying a hand on her arm. "Lou, maybe you should go get you know what checked." Dawn blinked at her. "Maybe some good news is just what he needs right now?"

Lou hesitated, knowing Kid really should see the Doc right away. She noticed Teaspoon and the Mayor step in, casting bewildered glances at Kid's desolate figure on the chair.

"Go on!" Dawn urged, "I'll keep him company." Lou hesitantly let go of his hand and turned to walk in while Buck was helping a bandaged Jimmy out.

 

Doc smiled at her as he was done. "Well Mrs. McCloud, I see congratulations are in order."

Lou held her breath. "Am I?"

"Yep, two months far as I can tell. Does that seem about right to you?"

Lou nodded. "Now that you say it, yes it sounds about right." She suddenly felt very nervous. "Is there something I outta know?"

The old man chuckled. "Dawn will probably tell you the worst, won't she?" Seeing her scared demeanor, the old man tilted his head, smiling fatherly at the nervous young woman. "Women do this every day. And nobody seems to know more about it than you yourselves. If it feels right it's probably right. Me myself I let the missis decide in these circumstances, I just stay around if something bad should happen. My best advice is not to try and worry too much."

Lou smiled relieved. "How many children do you have?"

"Eight."

Lou almost laughed at the man's facial expression. She's never witnessed such a mixture of pride and weariness. "Take's a toll, huh?"

Doc smiled at her, "There's nothing like it in the whole world, even if they drive you crazy from time to time. Go on, tell your husband and then I'll patch him up! Just remember to trust and listen to your body and come see me if anything feels wrong."

Lou wanted to hug the sturdy man in front of her, making her feel at such ease with his words.   
"Thank you," she spoke hoarsely as the relief rushed trough her body. Doc was already preparing for the next patient and just smiled at her as she slid through the door.

Dawn threw a inquiring look in her direction when she walked over to the Kid. She smiled in her direction only to see Dawn turn to Buck and whisper something in his ear that made them both chuckle and Jimmy to ask; "What?"

She didn't mind them and knelt to take Kid face in her hand.   
"Kid?" she started but somehow found herself without words. He looked at her with concern, the demons driven away by his devotion to her.

"You alright, Lou?"

"I'm fine Kid. In fact I'm better than ever." She leaned in to whisper the news in his ear. "Honey, you're gonna be a father."

Kid jerked away from her hands. "What?" He asked in a terrified voice and rose unsteadily to his feet. Lou saw his face turn from white to green.   
"Kid?" She never expected him to take it this badly. "Kid what's goin' on?"

Kid watched Lou as she told him he was going to be a father. He gathered she must have been scared out of her wits just like he was by the news. He was marveled by her ability to keep a straight face. She was going to bring a child into this world. His child. The child of a man she couldn't trust. A man that almost got her killed. The revelation hit him and his legs buckled. He wanted to throw his arms around her and thank her for the wonderful gift she was giving him. But the thought of what he had brought to her in the last couple of days made him want to throw up. The sickening smell of the medicines in the office mingled with the news Lou had brought him. He swallowed hard to keep the screams of fear inside as he watched Lou standing in front of him, reaching out to comfort him. Her unselfish actions pushed the air out of him, he should be the one supporting her. Not the other way around. He knew he had to get out of this office before he'd faint and fall to the floor.

With a grunt he turned and pushed himself out of the door.


	20. Chapter 20

Rachel sat in the wagon, waiting for the men to get out of the Doctors' Office. She tried to ease her mind about all that had happened. It hadn't turned out like in her nightmares after all. The men left behind would not bother anybody ever again. Rachel was still shaking after the night events. Not believing the luck they all had had. She heard Doc's office door swing open and turned her eyes in that direction. Kid came staggering out. His face ghostly white.

"Kid?" Rachel inquired when he stepped up to lean against the wagon. "What's going on?" She jumped down to get to him. He hadn't been to see the doctor yet, she realized, he was still covered in blood. "Kid? What -?"

"She's pregnant!" he let out jerkily, holding on to the wagon, hiding his face in his arms.

"Kid, that shouldn't be such a surprise," Rachel tried, bewildered at the reaction. This was not what she had expected.

"You don't understand Rachel," he groaned.

Rachel noticed Lou stepping out on the porch with a stunned and hurt look on her face. She stopped when she saw the Kid leaned against the wagon, throwing a questioning glance in Rachel's direction.

"Kid, what's goin' on?" Rachel tugged at his sleeve, demanding to know what was going on in the obviously troubled young man's mind.

"I took aim at them, fully knowing I might miss. I could just have killed the woman I love more than life itself and if I would have known. I mean - why did I ever let this happen? Goddammit, I promised her!" The desperation and self-blame so evident in his voice.   
"God, Rachel I might have killed her!"

The last sentence came out as a moan. Rachel could not help but feel the tears rise to her eyes again, witnessing the young man's pain. Laying her hand gently on his shoulder, she felt his body treble while he tried to control himself. She knew the last days' events had finally caught up with the Kid. In the corner of her eye she saw Lou approach them. Rachel stepped back to give them room.

 

"Kid!" Lou called out softly, making him groan. But she rejoiced at his groan, he was finally reachable. "Kid, I know what you did, I saw you and I never doubted you for a moment! Hell, I was scared you wouldn't shoot." She took hold of him, gently making him turn towards her. "Kid I always knew you'd make it."

He threw his arms around her, almost crying; "But Lou, I didn't, I just wasn't sure. And still I pulled the trigger!" His voice filled with an anguish that made Lou blindly bury her face in his shirt.   
"Shh Kid, I told you, I knew you'd pull it through, I never doubted you for a moment!" She pulled him even closer, recognizing how he must be feeling. What he had done was more than could be asked of anybody. Lou couldn't do anything else but hold him close while he cried quietly, his body tense from holding back the despair. She knew that if Kid hadn't pulled the trigger, she wouldn't be standing here right now, she would not ever had gotten the chance to hold him or their baby in her arms ever again. Now she had all that but she didn't know how to make Kid understand this.

"Kid, I trust you with my life, always have and always will, you outta know that by now," she told him, holding on to him. "You've never broken a promise!"

"I'm scared that someday I will! I almost -."

"Shhh," she interrupted him gently, not wanting to hear the rest of his sentence. Knowing how close it had come to him leaving her forever. Dreading to think about it. "Kid that won't happen by your own choice, don't you think I know that by now?"

She held on to him, trying to make him calm by staying as close as she could. She didn't know how to help him in any other way.

Kid finally calmed down, she felt his shivers ease off. She freed herself from his embrace, taking his face into her hands. "Kid, I wouldn't love you if I didn't trust you!"

"I'm so sorry Lou, if I had known, I would never have -."

"Kid! Once and for all, I trust you, understand?" She looked steadily right into his eyes, telling him all she felt that words could never explain. Slowly she saw the expression in his eyes turn from anguished despair to calmness and peace.

"Let's get you to the doctor," she said as she took his hand. She dragged him to the door but stopped before opening it, turning to him once again. "And don't you ever forget it," she said firmly. "You gotta promise me that!"   
Kid let out a sound that was somewhere between a laughter and a moan.

 

Rachel smiled to herself in the early morning light as she watched the two walk to the doctor's office. They would be alright. She knew she could return to Rock Creek now and sleep her nights in peac;, her children had grown up just fine. Being the Marshal could be hard, but Teaspoon had made it many years and he was still around. Why wouldn't Kid? She smiled seeing Teaspoon came out the door, with a growling Jimmy under his arm.

"Son, you just have to get used to sittin' around a little bit longer."

"Seems I've been sittin' around more in these past days than I've ever done before. Just can't keep this up. I'll be starting to grow mold."

"Jimmy, you heard Lou, you're gonna stay around till this foot of yours is healed. An' there's no discussin' the matter."

"Thought you knew that, when it comes to Lou," Buck replied, holding the door for his wife. Dawn stepped up to Jimmy, pinching his chin slightly. "That's right Jimmy, it'll be a pleasure takin' care of ya!"

Jimmy grunted "But I don't need no -."

Buck groaned. "Jimmy, when a pregnant woman tells you to -." He stopped abruptly after receiving a rather hard swat on the arm from Dawn. With an insecure grin he continued, "I'm tellin' ya, don't ever cross them."

Dawn glared at Buck from the side, her lower lip protruding slightly. Teaspoon spotted the upcoming disagreement so he stepped in between the both, laying an arm around their shoulders.   
"Children," he stated solemnly. "Since it seems I'm gonna take over as Marshal here I'll have all the time in the world to show you what marriage is all about."

Jimmy's ears perked. "You're staying here?"

Teaspoon nodded. "The Mayor came visiting while you were with the Doc. Seems Kid's declining to continue as the Marshal. An' Buck here's not willing either so I guess I'm stayin'." He grinned at Jimmy. "So Rock Creek's all yours, son!"

Jimmy frowned slightly "GranPa Jefferson's probably bored to death by now, huh?" He shook his head, he knew he had to find something else, he couldn't see himself sitting in the Rock Creek Office slowly getting moldy and old. "Why wouldn't Kid stay on?" he asked Teaspoon.

"Something 'bout a promise that might be too hard to keep if he did," Teaspoon explained. "Wouldn't tell me what promise thou' but I could tell there was no debating', ya'll know the Kid when he's -." Teaspoon let his voice trail off as they all nodded.   
"The Mayor asked if I could give it a try an' before I even realized it quite myself, I was the new Marshal."

Rachel sighed heavily. "We'll be all alone in Rock Creek you and me, Jimmy!"

Jimmy squirmed. "Rachel I don't think I'll be going back to Rock Creek, much as I hate to leave you alone, but I need to find someplace else."

Teaspoon turned his face to Rachel with a smile. "Well Rachel, the schoolteacher died and nobody else has dared to take her job so I kinda asked the Mayor if you could take her place, the job comes with a nice place to stay and -."

Rachel chuckled happily and threw her arms around his neck, causing him to stumble backwards.

"Rachel, remember I'm old and fragile!"

Rachel grinned mischievously. "Old I know, but fragile?"

"Can't ever get no sympathy from these women around here," Teaspoon complained. Turning to Jimmy he said. "That leaves you Jimmy? Wanna stay on as Deputy here?"

Everybody turned to him, Jimmy could tell they wanted him to stay. But he knew he couldn't. Something in him told him to move on.

"No Teaspoon. It's not that I ain't grateful for your offer, but I already feel I've been around one place too long. I gotta find my place in the world by myself."

Teaspoon nodded, he always knew that something in Jimmy was bigger than life, and that he'd need more space than an ordinary man.

"I know son. I just hope you'll remember where your family is!"

The door opened and Lou and Kid stepped out. Jimmy's eyes fell on them and his face softened into a smile.

"I'll always remember that Teaspoon, even when I ain't around."

"Who's not around?" Lou inquired, having heard only part of the discussion.

"We were just discussin' the future," Teaspoon explained. "Seems like Jimmy ain't interested in staying on as Deputy."

"I thought so," Lou smiled softly. "Jimmy needs something else, I always knew that." Lou turned to Rachel. "Will you -?"   
She didn't need to finish the question before Rachel smiled at her and threw her arms around her. "Wild horses couldn't drag me from here now! And I have youngens to watch grow up!"

"Since I'm without deputies that means that I'll have to deputize Kid or Buck from time to time," Teaspoon remarked with a smirk. "Are you ladies gonna allow that?" His eyes searched for approval.

Dawn glared at Teaspoon and Buck, "I think this needs some further discussin`."

"She means she's gonna have to think real hard on it before she decides," Buck interpreted for Teaspoon.

Dawn giggled. "You're starting to learn, Buck."

Lou was folding her arms around Kid's waist. Looking tenderly at him.

"Kid'll decide what's the right thing to do, won't ya?" she said with a soft voice.

Kid made a wry face, trying in vane to get out of Lou's grip.

"Sure I'll do whatever you tell me to, so would you please stop pinching me, Lou?"

 

They still laughed at Kid's face as they climbed the wagon to get home. All grateful for the turnings of things. They'd be close again. Kid watched Jimmy, he felt guilty for his own feelings towards him. He had been angry at him because he feared Lou trusted Jimmy more than himself.

Jimmy noticed his gaze and smiled at him. "Guess we've gotten the answer to my question Kid!"

"Huh?" Kid jerked, his mind having been on another track, "What'ya mean?"

"I gotta hand it to you, it was a fine bit o' shootin'! Guess we know who's the better shot!"

"Yeah we do Jimmy, you would never had pulled a trick like that." He looked down on his hands, still shaken over what he had done. "I admit it was a goddamn stupid thing to do, almost like something you'd try."

Jimmy just shook his head. "You've always been lucky Kid, you know that don't you?" Jimmy's eyes went over to Lou and Kid's eyes followed his, landing on Lou's, watching him closely from the side.

"I know Jimmy," he said quietly, securing his hold of Lou.

"But in your case luck ain't all there is," Jimmy stated calmly, finally recognizing the full capacity of his friend. "Still you got a family to think about so I guess I wont be callin' you out anytime soon." He grinned mischievously. "Lou and the little one's gonna wear you down soon enough without my help."

Kid chuckled softly, pulling Lou closer.

Lou threw a defiant glance in Jimmy's direction.

Jimmy watched her face and leaned in towards the Kid, whispering loudly; "For your sake, Kid, I hope the kid's not gonna inherit her temper."

"Watch it Jimmy," Lou warned. "Or I'll be cookin' all you meals while you recuperate."


End file.
